Total Pokkemon Island
by Shuckle Master
Summary: 36(secretly 37) Pokemon compete in a competition hosted by Victini for one million poke (Which Victini secretly doesn't have to give). Who will win? Who will lose? Who will hook up, and who will manipulate their way to the top? Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except my OCs?...maybe? Starts getting good around chapter 8 or so. Before that, eh...
1. Chapter 1: Greetings!

**Shuckle Master here. Sorry for the hiatus, but I decided to take a break over the summer. Next chapter of Chronicles of Red should be out next week, but now it's time to finally start the First chapter of the collaboration series between me and Diamond Toxic. Welcome to the first chapter of Total Pokkemon Island!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Total Drama Island, Pokemon, or Total Pokemon by Dark Amphithere. The reason I say the latter is well…let's just say there will be a LOT of references to his work.**

 ***Clears throat.* Okay. So I'm sure the first thing you noticed is the extra k in Pokkemon. Not to worry guys, it's not a typo. Why? Well, you'll find out as the story goes on.**

 **The OC list is complete and I'm happy to say nearly everyone's character made it in. There were two overdue characters who weren't able to make it in time, so….sorry about that.**

 **Also, I'm slipping a little reference in every chapter. It will usually be subtle, and it could be to a movie, meme, show, or other various things.**

 **Anyway, nothing else to say so let's begin!**

 **0000**

 ***Static***

A small cream colored fox like Pokemon with orange V shaped ears looks at the camera, grinning and making a victory symbol with his paws.

"Hello viewers, I'm Victini, the host with the most, and I welcome to Total Pokkemon Island!" He gestures to the beautiful wildlife around him, a small dock off to his left being the only sign of unnatural development.  
"This is the Secret Skerry, an Island about five miles east of the one where our competition will take place."

He made his way to the dock, as he spoke, gesticulating with his hands. "This reality show is the best of its time. Thirty six Pokemon will soon be arriving to compete for one million Pokedollars in the most HEART THROBBING, MOST DRAMATIC, and MOST DANGEROUS COMPETITION EVER...since Total Pokemon Is-I MEAN SURVIVOR!"

He coughed, quickly regaining his composure. "Ahem. Well uh...let's meet the competitors, shall we?"

He then looked out to the distant sea ahead, and didn't have to wait long. Off on the horizon, a wailmer was slowly making its way to the pier, a Pokemon sitting on it's back. Once it arrived, the Pokemon hopped off, suitcases in her hands. She had a small body and the back of it was covered in thick, white, cotton like fur. She also had large, orange eyes, along with two, small distinctive horns that were curled up.

"Hello! It's great to meet you, I've been waiting to compete in a reality contest for like, ever! I'm Whimsicott by the way!"

Victini smiled, shaking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you too. Hopefully you think the same way after the first challenge."

"Uh… like, what does that mean, exactly?"

"All in good time, my dear vict- I mean competitor, all in good time. Now hang tight, the others should be arriving at any minute."

This was proven true when the next water Pokemon shortly arrived, a Mantine. Four pokemon were on its back, and when it arrived, they quickly shoved each other to get off as fast as possible. One of them shouted loudly as they tumbled into the water.

Once they got back up, a small, black, fox like Pokemon shoved the pokemon in front of it, a white chinchilla with a long tail.

"I'm Zorua, and I'm here for my million Pokedollars! Stay out of my way if you want to survive even remotely far into this game." She confidently stated as she walked to where Whismicott was standing without another word, slapping Victini's hand away when he attempted to greet her.

Victini muttered a four letter word under his breath as the Pokemon Zorua shoved away made their way to the others.

"Hi, I'm Miccinio, and I'm honored to be selected as a competitor for your show. I'm a big fan of the original reality show, so when I heard there was going to be a spinoff I-"

Vicitni immediately covered her mouth, preventing her from saying anything else.

"There are two words I despise. Original, and spinoff. If you say either of those two words in the same sentence again, it's automatic elimination for you. Now go stand by the others."

Micinnio nodded as she did so, looking shaken, as the next Pokemon approached Victini. His body was grey, and he seemed to resemble an elephant. He had a big, black helmet on his head that seemed to fit him perfectly. He tucked his body and rolled up down the dock, landing perfectly in front of Victini.

"Alas, my journey is complete. I am ready to compete in the legendary Total Pokemon island. I am sir Donphan, and I will complete the quest to defeat-"

"THIS ISN'T TOTAL POKEMON FREAKING ISLAND. ITS TOTAL POKKEMON ISLAND. DID YOU MISS THE K!? RRRGHH!" He sighed, rubbing his face as he calmed himself down. "Just...just go stand by the others."

Donphan did so, looking even more shaken than Miccinio did. At the same time, a small brown, furry Pokemon gasped as he burst out of the water, breathing heavily.

"Whoooey! That was intense. Nice t' meet ya all. I'm Bidoof, and I reckon I'm mighty lucky to get on your show."

Victini shook the wet Pokemon's paw, leading him to the other three competitors. Miccinio, Whismitcott, and Donphan happily greeted him, while Zorua reluctantly did so . As they shook hands(or paws), the next water Pokemon arrived, a Whiscash with two competitors on his back.

A blue anubis like Pokemon with pointy ears and dreadlocks flipped overboard perfectly, while a Pokemon with orange skin and a hoodie slid off, a cigarette in his mouth.

The blue Pokemon shook Victini's hand enthusiastically. "I'm Lucario,and it is great to finally meet you Victini. I plan to win with integrity and skill."

"Who says you'll win?" Asked Zorua, her eyebrow raised.

"Well, I'll do my best!" Lucario said brightly as she stood next to Minccino. The hooded pokemon just scoffed as she left.

"Integrity and skill will only get you so far in a game like this" the hooded pokemon stated as he tossed his cigarette into the ocean. "The name's Scrafty, and just to let you know, I know how to REALLY play this game." With a smirk, he made his way to the others, making sure to stay a few feet from them.

Victini coughed. "Uh yeah, okay. The next few competitors are arriving!" He announced.

Two Pokemon, a Milotic and a Gyarados arrived, both carrying four Pokemon on their backs. A small orange and black Pokemon jumped off the Milotic and somersaulted onto the dock. He rose, dusting himself off.

Upon closer inspection, he resembled a pig, wearing a fedora hat. He had a very smug expression on his face.

"G'day mates. Nice t'a be out here in the wild. I always do me best in more natural surrondin's." He spoke with a thick australian accent.

As he shook Victini's hand, Zorua rolled her eyes. "Well, that makes one of us, I hate the outdoors. I've been bitten by like, eight different bugs while I've been here."

Tepig smirked. "Oh now would ya look at that. A sheila who complains a lot. That's new. Believe me, if I had wanted a bitch, I'd have bought me a Growlithe along for th' ride."

Some pokemon began to smirk and laugh as Zorua seethed in anger. Mincinnio was one of the few who didn't, and Tepig glanced at her slightly. As they settled down, two Pokemon rolled around on the ground, one having tackled another overboard.

"Ahh! Let me go! I told you I'm not a gem!"

"Aww come on man, just one lick and I promise I'll let you go! Pleeaasee?"

"Creepy much?" Mincinno shuddered as the rest of the Pokemon watched the scene.

"Alright, that's enough." Said a third Pokemon, a blue, muscle bound Pokemon with orange gills on his cheeks and who a resembled a huge mudfish jumped onto the dock with a loud thump. He grabbed the two Pokemon in each hand, quickly separating them.

One of the two, a purple, thin Pokemon with gemstone like eyes muttered as he broke out of the blue Pokemon's grip and stalked over to Victini, muttering something about diamonds under his breath. Victini gave him a hesitant smile.

"Uh...hey there. You good?"

"I'm Sabeleye. I need to find out what type of gem that fellow over there is. It could be a new species." The purple pokemon quickly chattered randomly, a dark smile on his face.

"Uh yeah okay….just for now sit by the other competitors okay?"

As soon as Sabeleye arrived, he found all the competiors had edged as far away from him as possible.

"What?"

"Thank you so much for rescuing me. I REALLY didn't want to be licked by that guy." The other Pokemon, who resembled a rock covered in bright blue crystals stated as he shuddered. "I'm Carbink." He said, turning his attention to Victini.

"Swampert. It is an honor to be a competitor in this show." The mudfish said with a bow. Victini smiled at them and ushered them to join the other competitors.

"By the way?" Said another buff Pokemon who looked even fitter then Swampert. He had purple skin and was clad in only speedo with a belt, as he hopped off his ride. "I totally could have done that too. I just, you know, wasn't in the mood to be bit or something."

"Yeah right. Though I'm impressed. I'd of thought you were too stupid to string together a sentence." Another Pokemon said this with a dry voice. He resembled a cicada and moved extremely quickly with his beating wings.

"Hey! Said the purple Pokemon as he tried to grab him, but the bug moved too quickly. "Yeah, as if you could even come close to even touching me. Ninjask, by the way."

Victini snickered as he gave Ninjask a high five. The purple Pokemon stomped over, hastily shaking the host' hand.

"I'm Machoke, and I'm the toughest Pokemon you'll ever meet." he said with a cocky smile on his face, flexing his muscles. "I play varsity in sports that don't even have names!"

Victini chuckled. "Well with that level of threat on your back, we'll see how far you get. Now why don't you go stand with the others."

Machoke scoffed and stomped over to where Swampert was now sitting and meditating. He tried to get his attention, but Swampert was too focused on his training.

The final two Pokemon jumped off their respective water types, waving them off. A chubby, bear like Pokemon tottered to Victini and shook his hand.

"I'm Munchlax, and it's great to finally be here. Uh...is there anything to eat? I'm hella hungry."

Victini slapped his face. "I thought I TOLD you interns that you couldn't use a Pokemon who's obsessed with eating! It's like you WANT lawsuits!?"

Munchlax huffed, looking offended. "Hey! I'm not just some bottomless stomach stereotype! I like food, but I like GOOD food. I'm a food critic, who enjoys the art of eatery and cooking!"

"Did someone say art? Because if so, you have caught my attention." A Pokemon that looked like a beagle stepped down, his tail looked like a paint brush. He spoke with a light french accent.

"I am known as Smeargle. I'm an artist. However I've been very unmotivated for a while now. I thought coming here might help give me inspiration." The beagle like pokemon stated as he shook Victini's hand and walked over to the others.

Victini smirked as he watched the two normal types leave. He then turned to the camera.

"They have no idea what they'll be getting into" the victory pokemon stated as a Jellicent made it's way to the docks, another small fox like pokemon on its giant head. However, unlike Zoura, this one had pointy ears and grey fur.

The pokemon made it's way off the Jelecent's head, taking extreme caution when getting on the docks. She slowly made her way to Victini, carefully eyeing her surroundings.

"Eevee, nice to see that you were able to make it" Victini stated, causing the fox pokemon to jump a little.

"H-hi. T-thanks for t-the w-welcome." She stuttered, not looking at the host in front of her. She timidly made her way to the other competitors.

"Hey, you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Lucario said kindly.

"I'm f-fine. I just get nervous r-really easily. Nice to meet you."

Lucario's reply was drowned out by the loud noise of a boat horn. A ship that looked like it was bigger than most cruises docked."

Victini hissed at an intern. "I told you we can't afford boats like that. This better be the last of them though." However, only a single Pokemon left the huge boat. He was small and looked like a frog, with a bulb on his back.

"Thanks Arthur! I should be good from here. Just toss me my bags."

The other Pokemon gasped at the twenty something bags that were thrown overboard onto the dock. The captain (a Watchog) gave the green Pokemon a salute and took off.

The green pokemon then made its way to the host.

"Sup, I'm Bulbasaur and I'll be the one to win this thing." the green Pokemon explained as the others rolled their eyes.

Ninjask snorted. "Great, just what we need. An even fatter cat."

"Only two Water Pokemon left!" Victini announced. As a Lapras swam into view.

Four Pokemon hopped of its back, greeting the host. The first resembled a green pokemon that looked like a gecko. She smiled at the now large cast assembling at the dock. She then turned her attention to the natural surroundings.

"Clear water, clean beaches, and most of the flora is growing strong. I think I'm going to like it here" she said before making her way to the host.

"Hi, I'm Grovyle and I'm really excited to see what this island has to offer!"

Victini smiled at her before telling her to wait by the others. "Wait 'til she finds out that this isn't the island they'll be staying at." he said with a smug look as a red rabbit like pokemon with cheeks that resemble plus signs jumped off the Lapras.

"Woohoo! I'm finally here! This trip is going to be awesome!" Victini tried to shake her hand, but the pokemon pulled him in a tight hug, before running off to the other competitors, squealing.

"Uh...this is Plusle…" said Victini, clearly shaken. Plusle happily ran towards Munchlax, happily jumping and hugging him in joy. Munchlax blushed a little.

When the next Pokemon walked down the dock, all the male competitors couldn't help but stare. A tall, rabbit-like Pokemon stepped off the Lapras and smirked at the men's reaction. Ninjask grinned at Donphan, and Machoke immediately began flexing his muscles. Scrafty wolf whistled as Bidoof started to drool as she shook Victini's hand. "I'm Lopunny, and it's great to meet you all!"

As she walked next to Tepig, he grinned. "Now aren't you a pretty sight."

Lopunny rolled her eyes. "Not interested, Krookodile Dundee."

Tepig's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Oh, sorry sheila, did you think I was talkin' about you? No it's that rock over there behind you. Really good placement if you ask me."

Minccino giggled. Tepig immediately gave her a wink, but she suddenly turned away, no longer laughing.

The last Pokemon had black fur, with intelligent red eyes and rings around her ears, tail, legs. As she walked past Victini, she muttered. "Umbreon." and went off to the other side, sitting far from the other competitors. Right after her "greeting," a pokemon with white and green skin, and two tonfa like arms with extendable blades. An eye patch covered his left eye, but it wasn't enough to cover the scar that streaked down his face.

"Gallade! What's up man" Victini stated at the bladed pokemon walked towards the docks. However, unlike the others, he didn't even acknowledge the victory pokemon. He instead made his way to the very end of the docks, putting as much distance between him and the others as possible, and leaving him at the opposite side of Umbreon.

"Yea, he doesn't talk much" Loponny stated. "I tried to get him to talk, but he wouldn't even acknowledge me. Umbreon wasn't much better, in that regard."

Victini shrugged his shoulders. "Ok then...well it looks like the last water Pokemon is here!" A huge Wailord arrived, carrying a sizable amount of competitors on its back. A blue frog with a bubbled back flipped off first, shaking Victini's hand quickly.

"I'm frogadier. Its awesome to be here. I signed up as uh...supervision and a lifeguard." 

Victini arched a brow. "Then why the hell didn't you come with the other interns?"

"Uh...it's a paying job sir. And I wanted to meet the competitors, you see. So-"

"I don't care. Just go over to where the other intern scrubs are mucking around and avoiding work."

Frogadier shrugged. "Whatever you say, boss."

Victini's eyes narrowed. "Are you giving me lip?"

"No I'm just-"

"HEY! CAN I BE INTRODUCED YET!? I HAVE A SCHEDULE!"

Victini grumbled. "Fine, fine. Whatever, get down here."

The Pokemon who yelled now scuttled down off the Wailord's back. He looked like a red hermit crab, but with a large mushroom on his back. His eyes were a blank white.

"Thank you. If you had talked any longer, you would have cut into my introduction. My name is Parasect."

Victini rolled his eyes. "Whatever pal. Just go sit with the others."

As Parasect did so, a monkey with a white tuft of fur on his chest and a large flame on the top of his head ran at top speeds down the dock, doing various tricks like cartwheels and handsprings. Lopunny nodded, impressed.

Finally he landed in front of Victini, shaking his hand hard. "Hi I'm Infernape, and I'm here to win!"

Victini smirked. "In enthusiasm, you've already won. Now go chill out with the others." Infernape whooped as he did so, showing off a few more tricks.

A few seconds later, a pinkish Pokemon happily jumped off the boat. She had big, beady blue eyes, and a big, white rabbit's tail.

"Hi everyone, I'm Audino." the pink pokemon said. "I really hope we can all be good friends." With that, she calmly made her way to the docks, where Plusle immediately greeted her, before waving to Scrafty. Scrafty simply scoffed.

Literally a second after Audino's greeting, a yellow pokemon who resembled a humanoid shaved rammish/ sheepish thing with a red orb on both its tail and the top of his head fell off the whale like pokemon.

"Uh...are you ok?" Asked Victini as he ran over to help. The yellow pokemon burst out of the water, gasping. He rose, shaking off water droplets, before shaking Victini's hand.

"Hey, I'm Ampharos and I-oh no sorry!"

The static in Ampharos' hands zapped Victini, who hissed in pain. Victini shuddered. "Its...fine. Just go...sit with the others."

When Ampharos arrived, the only one willing to shake his hand was Swampert.

A few seconds later, ANOTHER fox like pokemon jumped off the Wailord's back. However, this one was standing on two legs instead of four, had red fur, and a big white tale with a stick in it.

"Yo! Name's Braxien" she stated as she shook the victory pokemon's hand.

"Nice to meet you two. Now go stand with the others. We don't got all day." With that, Braxian made her way to the she did, she smirked, taking out the stick from her tail, and tapped it against a tree. It caught fire, and began to spread quickly. Almost everyone gasped as Braxien laughed. "That's what'll happen to whoever stands in my way."

Frogadier immediately sprung into action, putting out the fire with a blast of water. Grovyle immediately tackled and wrestled Braxien to the ground.

"You do not TOUCH nature like that again!" Grovyle growled. Braxien blanched at the look on her face. "Alright alright I get it. Sheesh. I was just trying to send a message."

"You're going to have to do better than that" Zoura stated, in which scrafty nodded as Grovyle relentlessly helped Braxien to her feet.

Tepig grinned. "Hate to agree with Ms. Sociopath over here, but the only message you sent was not t' mess with green thumb."

Braxien and Grovyle flushed as they got back into place as Zorua gave Tepig an angry look.

During the commotion, another Pokemon stepped down the dock, carrying another in his hand. Closer inspection showed that he was a big, yellow pokemon with lightning bolt patterns around his body. He also had two, big wire like tentacles that was connected to his bottom. Some of the smaller Pokemon stepped back.

"Electivire! Glad to see you could come" Victini said. However, Electivire grunted and turned his gaze to the others.

"I'm only going to say this once… mess with me and I will hurt you" Electivire stated. Some pokemon gulped while others just rolled their eyes.

A short time later, the almost full cast heard a giant thud on the sidewalk. Another pokemon fell off the whale Pokemon. However, this time it was pink, looked squishy, and had a dopey expression on it's face.

"Uh… are you ok slowpoke?" Victini asked.

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN" Slowpoke responded. "I was having the most wonderful nap, until now."

Electivire grumbled. "I could already tell that little shit is going to be useless. He better not be on my team."

Slowpoke slowly made his way to the end of the dock, followed by a grumpy Electivire.

A second later, a brownish-yellowish Pokemon jum ped onto the dock. This pokemon had a strong resemblance to a dragon and had two, giant, ax like tusks. He looked at everyone menacingly.

Then he waved, smiling happily.

"Hey guys!

"Haxorus my man! What is up?" Victini asked.

"I'm great! Everyone here is so nice! Well Electivire told me to drop dead, but still!" Haxorus stated,chuckling.

Victini gave him a high five. "Sweet, I like you. You remind me of someone...I just can't think of who…"

"Oh I know!" Exclaimed Infernape. "Its gotta be-"

"SHHHH!" Micinnio, Whismicott, and Donphan all said, gesturing for Infernape to stop talking. Infernape faltered, giving them a questioning look.

Victini, luckily, was distracted by this, instead noticing the last Pokemon still struggling to get off the Wailord.

"Uh...you okay up there?"

A small turtle like Pokemon in a red shell, yellow arms and legs sticking out of the many holes. His head was popped out of the front hole, clearly strained with effort as he slowly pulled a purple wagon behind him. "I'm fine! Just uh...I'm slow."

"I'll help!" Shouted Haxorus, running back atop of the Wailord and putting the red pokemon inside the wagon. With an effort, Haxorus lifted it and carried it on the dock.

"Uh...thank you! I'm Shuckle!" He said to Victini. Victini, however glared at Shuckle's wagon.

"That wagon isn't allowed. It's too much like….HIS."

Shuckle laughed nervously. "Um….who's?"

"Our host is feeling a little cranky about Total Pokemon Island, and how this show seems to be a complete rip off." Ninjask snickered.

Victini seethed. "Shut up, Ninjask!"

Shuckled fidgeted uncomfortably. "Sorry...sir but I need this wagon to move around quickly. I'm really slow, and-"

Victini slapped a hand to his forehead. "Fine! Whatever! Just go, wheel yourself to the end to the dock."

"Ah got it!" Said Bidoof, running forward and dragging the wagon by the pulley. The wailord sped away, as Victini stared at the sky.

"And here come the fliers, right on time!

Just then, a big, red, dragon-like pokemon flew off of wailord and landed next to Victini

"Charizard, how's it going?" Victini asked, raising his hand up for a high five. Charizard lightly returned it.

"Not bad. Could be better, though, is nice to finally get here. " Charizard gruffed before making his way to the other contestants. He eyed them carefully, almost suspiciously paying extra attention to Electivire, Scrafty, and Gallade. Upon seeing this, Electivire glared at him and he returned it with interest. Scrafty simply arched an eyebrow, lighting another cigarette. Gallade payed no attention to Charizard and continued standing in his regular spot, only moving a few inches away so that he didn't have to be near the crowd.

Not a second later, a red, falcon like Pokemon with a fiery design swooped down at lightning fast speed and landed next to the crowd.

"Talonflame's the name, speed's my game." the bird said with a very cocky attitude. Most of the cast rolled their eyes and went back to what they were doing.

A few seconds later, another Pokemon that resembled a Scorpion with wings landed on the docks. He had a little pouch tied around his neck.

"Sup Gliscor. What's in the pouch?" Victini asked.

"Just my little good luck charm. Nothing too suspicious."

"Hey, as long as it isn't illegal then it's fine by me. Now go sit with the others." Gliscor did what he was told and attempted a conversation with Umbreon, who answered politely but didn't pursue the topics thrown at her.

A small bird pokemon fluttered over, with brown feathers and many thin bags on his back. He landed and immediately began to boast.

"I am Pidgey, a bringer of all the finest swords. The Master Sword, Monado, falchion, you name it! I will unlock the power of all of them and-"

"All right, we get it! Now go sit by the others and annoy them."

With a huff, Pidgey did so, and immediately struck a conversation with Donphan.

"Great… a video game nerd. Just what we need" Electivire stated as he rolled his eyes. Scrafty smirked.

"Takes one to know one right?"

While the two argued, a small, ghost like pokemon snuck behind Victini, who was currently counting how many contestants were currently on the docks.

"thirty three, thirty three, thirty four, thirt-er where's Misdreavus?" Victini asked, shaking his head.

"BOO!" Misdreavus yelled as loud as she could, startling the victory Pokemon. She laughed as he quickly tried to regain his composure.

"Next time you do that to me it's an automatic elimination" Victini said with a glare.

'Man, you're no fun" Misdreavus stated as she floated towards the others, immediately starting a conversation with Sableye, and the two shared a laugh at Victini's expense.

Victini rubbed his hands together. "Alright guys that was the last of them, so I thought it would be time for a little treat."

"Wait a minute." Parasect counted in his head. I thought there were thirty six competitors in this. All my meticulous preparations involve thirty six competitors!"

"Calm your mushroom, that's the treat." Victini smirked. "After using all of my begg-I mean PERSUASIVE SKILL, I managed to convince a veteran from the Total Pokemon series! Finally, I have succeeded in recruiting Mew's ratings, gem! Welcome to the island, Cacturne!"

Sabeleye twitched at the word 'gem', but nearly everyone else looked to each other in excitement. Cacturne, here? But excitement soon changed to impatience as no one came to the dock.

"Uh...Cacturne? That's your cue…" Victini chuckled nervously.

Finally, a magikarp burst out of the water, flopping on the dock. With a cough, it spit out a note, before hopping back into the sea.

Victini carefully picked it up, eyes widening as he read it allowed.

" _Dear Mew rip off,_

 _Yeah Cacturne isn't joining. He never even planned to. I responded to the message you sent begging him, and the only reason I even did it was to see the expression on your face when you read this._

 _Bronzong_

Victini's face went from white, to green, to red, to purple in a matter of moments. Nearly all of the contestants, (save for a few of the more mature ones) laughed out loud. Victini lit the note on fire, before pointing to Frogadier.

"YOU. Since we are down a player YOU ARE NOW A COMPETITOR! Got it!?"

Frogadier shrugged. "Uh..that's not in my contract, so…."

"GOT IT!?"

"Yeah, okay." Frogadier gulped.

"Now where were we." Victini hissed, looking at the now complete group.

"Uh...maybe explain the rules?" Asked Munchlax.

"Who needs to?" Parasect scoffed. I already memorized them.

"No talking! Alright the rules are simple. You will be split up into two teams, and compete in challenges. The losing team will then be forced to vote off one of their competitors. Soon at the halfway point when there are eighteen players left, the teams will be merged, and it's every competitor for themselves. Soon they'll be only one competitor left, who will win ONE. MILLION. POKE DOLLARS."

Most of the competitors cheered at this, while Tepig gave the host a smug look.

"So it's th' same game as total Pokemon Island, isn't it, mate?

Victini glared at him. "NO! Total POKKEMON ISLAND! It's completely different!"

Tepig grinned. "' 'Bout as different as you are from Mew."

Victini growled. "Just get to the freaking confessionals."

"uhh… where are they?" Plusle asked.

"God dang it they're four miles to the right" Victini said, pointing to a path leading into the woods.

 **0000**

 **Victini sits on a toilet in a decent looking bath house, waving at the camera.**

" **This outhouse is our confessional, where you can tell the audience what you are really thinking. Now before we take a break, lets dive into our competitors a bit more, shall we?"**

 **0000**

 **Whismicott looks around, impressed. "Not bad. Most competitions like this always have really crappy facilities, but this isn't bad at all."**

" **Anyway, I'm gonna have a great time, make some new friends and maybe even meet a few boys. That Tepig guy is kinda cute."**

 **0000**

 **Talonflame stretches his wings. "I've won the olympics in races so many times, I'm not allowed to compete anymore. Seriously, I don't even need a team to beat these guys."**

 **0000**

 **Umbreon sighed. "I'm not exactly the most open person, so don't expect to see me so often. Honestly the only reason I'm even here is for the money. But I probably won't even win, so I feel like an idiot for joining.**

 **0000**

 **Infernape whooped, banging his chest. "This competition is gonna be killer, dude! I can totally work on my punches during the challenges. HA!" He yelled as he broke a hole through the confessional.**

" **Oops." He said sheepishly.**

 **0000**

 **Electivire folds his arms. "I'm here to win. Not to make friends or alliances, but to win with no other goal in mind."**

 **He grins cruelly, punching his fist into his open palm. "And cause as much pain as possible."**

 **0000**

 **Tepig grins. "Quite a lot of nice lookin' sheila's here.. And quite a few ankle biters too. They'll be taken care of real easy, like that one time I fought that Croconaw-"**

 **0000**

 **Zorua smirked at the camera. "Why do I act the way I do? Because I know I can. You see, I have this little ah, condition where I can always make someone look worse then me. I know how to play the game."**

 **Her body slowly changed, Now looking exactly like Lucario. "And sabotage is my favorite kind of game."**

 **0000**

 **Parasect went over his notes in the confessional. "This plan will easily get me to the merge as It's flawless. Soon, I will have complete control over my team, and then the entire competition." He soon drops his notes into the toilet. "Aww fu-"**

 **0000**

" **Due to the fact that I am the most powaful swordmasters in the world, this will be a piece of cake" Pidgy says before pathetically slashing the air with his wings, tripping in the process.**

 **0000**

 **Gallade quickly glances at his surroundings, not saying anything.**

 **0000**

 **Misdrevus was laughing very hard, only stopping to catch her breath.**

" **Man, did you see the way Victini looked when I scared him. Priceless. Ooooh and that's not the first. Soon everyone will be humiliated by the skills of a true prankster! (static)**

 **0000**

 **Audino smiles. "This should be fun. I'm a nurse, so I'm sure my team will keep me around a while. My friends all said I should take a break from helping others and doing something for myself for once. Hopefully if I win I can use the money to help find a cure for diseases like-"**

 **0000**

 **Donphan clears his throat. "There are many dangerous fiends, but a true knight is courageous to the very end." He coughs, before sheepishly smiling. "Sorry about that. I'm looking for a college to enroll in, and my rollout skills just aren't cutting it, so I joined theater, and I really get caught into character. If I win though, maybe I'll be lucky enough to open my own castle. That'll REALLY help me get into character."**

 **0000**

 **Braxien sighs in the confessional. "I know I didn't have the greatest first impression, but I'm not malicious. I just REALLY like burning things. But as long as I keep that in check, I should have the skill to win!" As she says this, the confessional begins to light on fire.**

" **Oh crap! Not again!"**

 **0000**

 **Frogadier gasps, having put out the fire. "Whew….that girl is exhausting. Anyway, I wasn't expecting to be a competitor, but I guess I can't complain. A million pokedollars isn't something to sneeze at. And I could begin my quest to become a hero to save anyone in need."**

 **He suddenly blushes, looking down. "I can't believe I said that on National TV."**

 **0000**

 **Bulbasaur looked uncomfortable. "Uh...I don't exactly need the money. Honestly I only joined because other pokemon made fun of me by saying I was too sheltered." He puts on a brave smile.**

" **But I'll show them that I don't need money to win!"**

 **0000**

 **Grovyle smirked. "I know everything about the great outdoors. I'm a natural survivalist. So I'm physically fit and ready to win!"**

 **She thinks for a minute, before responding. "That Braixen kid better stay off the wildlife."**

 **0000**

 **Munchlax sighed. "I wish people would stop labeling me as that one fat guy who loves him. I'm hella sick of it, and I'll show them how wrong stereotypes are!"**

 **His stomach growled. "Crap, talking about food made me realize how hungry I was!"**

 **0000**

 **Lucario smiled brightly. "I'm glad to see Pokemon and meet new friends. I'm a tough fighter, and can easily get along with everybody!"**

 **She froze. "Wait. What if they don't like me? What'll I do then!? Oh no…**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty smirked in the confessional as he smoked. "This is a dangerous game that's much more complex than people think. You need to find that perfect balance between being good and too good, or otherwise you'll find yourself useless or a threat. While bringing dead weight like Slowpoke is good for the finale, you always want to use one of the big threats to keep them off you. Fortunately, I know exactly how to play this game." Scrafty said as he dropped the cigarette into the water.**

 **0000**

 **Bidoof grins at the camera. "Woohoo!" It's really excitin' that I get to be in on' o those fancy competitions. My family is dirt poor, see? So the most excitin' thing I ever did was go on a trip to the grocery store. With the million dollars, I could BUY my family a grocery store."**

 **0000**

 **Ampharos rubbed the jewel on the top of his head sheepishly. "I'm not exactly the most coordinated of competitors, and I might have a tendency to accidentally shock people, but don't write me off just yet!" Said Ampharos. "The underdog always wins, right? So I'll just be the one that does!"  
**

 **0000**

 **Gliscor hung upside down. "I have a little skill that no one else can even come close to figuring out. You can't defeat a Pokemon that can't be hit, right? You'll soon see my ability, and then it'll be impossible for me to get out."**

 **0000**

 **Slowpoke sat in the confessional, dozing off. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN!"**

 **0000**

 **Shuckle fidgeted. "Uh...I'm definitely not one of the best here, especially not physically. But hey, I have a few niches!" He counted them off with his wiggling arm. "My shell is practically impenetrable, I learned study tactics, and I have a weird fetish for buckets." He immediately gulped. "Uh-oh. that was not meant to….come up…..Oh Arceus…"**

 **0000**

 **Smeargle sighed. "Alas….this island is droll and boring. If only I could find a muse….I could paint the most beautiful picture in ze world. Well...at the very least I could do my best to win…"**

 **0000**

 **Machoke flexed his muscles. "I'm strong, and tough, and I can out arm wrestle anyone here. I REALLY want to see what that Swampert can do. I'm looking forward to fighting that guy. But anyway.." He said as he kissed his muscles. "with these babies there is no WAY I will lose, especially with my last resort!"  
**

 **0000**

 **Lopunny smiled. "I know how the boys are looking at me. And I'm fine with that. Anything that helps me get farther in the game, y'know?"**

 **She looked down. "I just hope they see me more than just eye candy, so I can really make a few friends that aren't superficial."**

 **0000**

 **Eevee managed a smile. "I'm n-not b-big or tough. But I know i-if I try my hardest, I-I c-an do anythin-ng. AHHH! I can't do this! She screamed as she ran out of the confessional.**

 **0000**

 **Charizard folded his arms. "I came here for two reasons. Firstly, to win, duh. Secondly, I heard the theif who's been stealing from the houses near here is around these islands somewhere, and I've been waiting to get another case, and find out who the bastard is.**

 **He scowled. "And bring them down."**

 **0000**

 **Swampert calmly mediated. "Strength and focus." He said quietly. "They are all I need to win."**

 **0000**

 **Miccinio smiles on her confessional. "I think I have a pretty good chance to make it far. I've seen every episode of uh...the** _ **other**_ **series, and I picked up a few tricks. As long as my germophobia doesn't act up, I'll have this one in the bag!**

 **0000**

 **Haxorus waved. "Yes! First confessional. So I don't really have anything to say other then I'm really happy here! I probably won't win, but I'll do my best. Hopefully I'll do well if I don't get too clingy again." He shrugged/**

 **0000**

 **Plusle cheered. "Its awesome to be on National TV! This'll be sooo exciting! Oooooh, I wonder if I should make an alliance. If I do that, one of us will HAVE to win for sure!"**

 **0000**

 **Ninjask smirked. "This game is about smarts, not brawn. Any of these idiots may think they can overpower their way, but it'll be smart guys like me who know how to actually play it. Now excuse me, so I can torment Victini some more.**

 **0000**

 **Carbink floated in the air. "Well, I have a perfect plan to win. It involves-AHHHHH!" He screams as a purple hand sticks out of the hole in the door, groping.**

" **C'mon...I neeed to study you!"**

 **0000**

 **Sableye cackles evilly. "No one can ever seperate me from money! I always get the riches in the end, just you watch." He sinks deep in thought. "Hmmm now how to steal it under a legendaries nose….hmmm."**

 **0000**

"And there you have it!" Victini shouted. "Next episode is our first challenge, a boat race to the island we will be competing for the rest of the season. Who will win, who will lose, and who will leave before even saying hello? Find out next time, on TOTAL. POKKEMON. ISLAND!"

 **0000**

 **Whooo! First chapter was a doozy!**

 **Did you find the little hidden reference? Remember it won't be a flat out answer, you may have to look a little bit closely.**

 **Just as much credit goes to diamond toxic as me, we worked together throughout the chapter, and make sure to check out his channel as well.**

 **Finally, how did I do on your ocs? Were they on spot or need work? Post a review to explain.**

 **Next chapter should be out soon, so until then see ya!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Great boat race!

**Shuckle Master back with the next chapter of Total Pokkemon Island! These will be written during the weekends, because I have a LOT of work now that school has begun. Expect chapters to be released every other weekend at the most.**

 **Author's note- Diamond toxic here. Sorry for not adding a writer's note last time. I fell asleep. Anyways, I'll be adding fun facts about this story at the end of each chapter, 'because Wynaut (god that was bad). Anyways, review and enjoy :-).**

 **Anyway, first challenge! And first elimination! Just whooooo will it be?**

 **Reference from last chapter: "Talonflame's the name, speed's my game!" Sonic reference duh. Yeah some will be pretty easy, while other will be more complex or subtle. Can anyone get them all?**

 **Anyway, let's start!**

0000

The competitors were led by Victini, who took them down to a deep slope and leading them to a beautiful beach. When they arrived, they were shocked to see two ferry boats at a second, much bigger dock.

Ninjask snorted. "Why would you need two docks? Just seems like a waste of money to me. And I don't even NEED to bring up the two ferries."

"Ninjask. Shut. Up." Victini said through a forced smile. "And as for the two ferries, well that leaves us to your first challenge!"

"Wait a minute, hold up." Said Ampharos, raising a hand. "Uh….what about teams?"

Victini stared blankly for a moment, before slapping himself in the face. "Shit!" He quickly looked through his list notes.

"Not exactly on top of things, is he?" Ampharos remarked to Infernape, who chuckled. Parasect hissed at them. "I know! It's disturbing! He should have his schedule color coded and already have a practiced routine!"

Ampharos tapped his head and said, "Hey…don't be like that. I mean, I'd rather him be really relaxed then really strict and uptight."

Parasect clicked his pinchers. "Of course not! Order and organization is vital to anyone who is serious in this competition! If you are …loose…, you will never win!"

Ampharos folded his arms. "And if you don't LOOSEN up, you will never be happy."

 **0000**

" **Grrr. How dare he insult rules and etiquette? Lady Law, I will avenge you in righteous fury!" Parasect growled, before freezing. "Uh…my apologies, I lose myself sometimes."**

 **0000**

Victini cleared his throat, finally having the list in his hands. "Hey everybody! I got them!" He hummed under his breath.

"Carbink, Lucario, Charizard, Misdreavous, Machoke, Gliscor, Infernape, Donphan, Lopunny, Bulbasaur, Ampharos, Zorua, Eevee, Audino, Talonflame, Whismicott, Frogadier, and Haxorus. Your team is the Striking Sevipers."

The Pokemon stated above quickly got into place. Audino happily greeted everyone, though hissed in pain when Ampharos accidentally shocked her.

Victini switched his sheets. "Ok…..Slowpoke, Umbreon, Tepig, Pidgey, Swampert, Braxien, Ninjask, Electivire, Sableye, Scrafty, Plusle, Bidoof, Munchlax, Parasect, Smeargle, Shuckle, Grovyle, and Mincinnio. You guys are the Zany Zangooses. Or Zangeese. Whatever floats your boat, which in course involves the next challenge."

The other team quickly got into place, with Bidoof happily dragging Shuckle's wagon, Swampert bowing to his team, and Ninjask making another sarcastic jab at Victini about what the plural term of 'Zangoose' was.

"Not bad…that was pretty quick. Now before we begin, there are two remaining announcements."

"Ugh! Why can't we just start yet!" Zorua groaned.

"All in good time. Now the first rule applies to mega evolution users. Everyone who can use a mega evolution raise your hand."

Ampharos and Charizard both raised their hand, though Charizard's was a lot more hesitant. Lucario and Lopunnny high fived as Sabeleye jumped up and down, giggling darkly. Audino blushed as she raised her hand, while Swampert quietly smiled. Gallade, however, made no move.

"Mega evolutions are allowed, though only once. Once it has been used once during the competition, you can never use it again."

 **0000**

 **Munchlax gulped. "Some of us pre evolution are outclassed enough as it is, and now MEGA EVOLUTION is allowed!? How are we supposed to deal with that!?"**

 **0000**

 **Lucario folded her arms thoughtfully. "Hmmm….this can completely change the game. I need to save my mega evolution and wait for the best opportunity. And of course I have to worry about everyone ELSE'S mega evolution too!"**

 **0000**

 **Charizard growled. "I don't trust Gallade. He didn't raise his hand, but I know for a FACT that Gallade can mega evolve. What exactly is he playing at…could he be the one I'm searching for, or does he not have a mega stone...?"**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty hummed. "This is troublesome. A mega evolution is like a wild card in my deck. It can be your best friend, or your worst enemy. Mark my words, someone will get nailed to the wall by their own mega evolution."**

 **0000**

"The second rule," Victini announced. "Is this baby."

He pulled out a small, wooden statuette of himself, who was smiling and forming a victory sign with his hands.

"Anyone knows what this trinket means?"

"That our host is a complete narcissist?" Ninjask drawled.

"Shut up Ninjask!" shouted Victini. "No…this little baby is the immunity idol. It will be hidden somewhere on the other island, and if you find it, you'll be saved if your team votes for you, instead taking out the Pokemon with the second most votes."

 **0000**

" **This…it can change the game. But in the wilderness, I have a winning edge at finding the thing," Said Grovyle confidently."**

 **0000**

" **That idol….I NEED IT!" Carbink practically shouted, his eyes wide.**

 **0000**

"However, the idol can only be used ONCE, and by ONE person. Got it?"

No one said anything at first, but soon Grovyle raised her hand. "Wait a minute…you make it sound like the idol isn't here."

Victini grinned at her. "Good observation, which leads us to our first challenge. This island isn't the one you'll be competing on. That's why this challenge is a race. Using the ferries, your own swimming or flying skill,you will race to the island 5 miles to the right of here, where you will be competing for the season."

"What!? But this place is amazing!" Shouted Grovyle, indignant.

"Too bad!" Victini chortled. "But you'll find the next island is just as good as this one."

Grovyle folded her arms, grumbling.

"Anyway, the first ship or contestant to reach the beach of our island wins! Oh, while battling is allowed between you, no boarding the other team's ship. And on the dock, you'll find two piles of junk for each team. You can, before you leave, snatch up anything you might want. These can be used throughout the challenge, along in the ENTIRE SEASON, so pick carefully. Any questions?"

Both Eevee and Infernape raised their hands, but Victini ignored them completely. "Good! The last thing to settle is the matter of team captains."

Scrafty's eyes gleamed as Shuckle and Bidoof glanced at each other. This would be interesting.

"For the Striking Sevipers….Charizard."

Charizard nodded his head. "Very well. I'll do what I can."

"And for the Zany Zangoose…Parasect!"

"YES!" Shouted Parasect. "Yes, yes perfect!"

 **0000**

" **With me as a leader we will win for sure!" Boasted Parasect. "I had the whole thing planned out just in case. The team will have a meeting every Tuesday, do morning exercises at 7:17 AM, and ooh! I get to order people AROUND!"**

 **0000**

 **Charizard tapped his head thoughtfully. "In all honesty, I'm not sure if being the team leader is the best position for me to be in. It puts a pretty big target on my back. Still, I'll have to do my best, especially if I want to find that thief."**

 **0000**

Victini pulled out a megaphone. "Okay contestants. I think that settles everything, so…."

"Umm… you forgot Gallade" Lopunny stated.

"...what?"

"Gallade. You didn't say his name when you announced the teams." said Lucario.

Victini facepalmed. (Author's note: Sorry guys! I miscounted the teams, and we have thirty seven contestants, not 36. That's trial and error for ya!")

"You know what! Winning team gets Gallade. Happy!"

Gallade shrugged upon hearing this.

Ninjask snickered. "Wow, isn't this professional?"

"SHUT. UP. NINJASK! Now….just get going already, you guys are burning daylight!"

Both teams took off, quickly reaching their respective piles of….materials.

Parasect shouted. "Guys! Single file! We need to do this in an orderly fashion. Don't just take useless junk!"

Tepig grinned as he picked up a random boomerang, throwing it at an ark that narrowly missed Victini.

"Hey watch it!"

Tepig caught it, smirking.

Meanwhile, Shuckle stared at Sableye, who was carrying a box of spare parts.

"Uh… What's up with the stuff over there?"

Sableye shrugged his shoulders. "I'm….a bit of a mechanic. I can probably build something to help us win," he chattered.

Shuckle smiled. "Cool! Hey, put some in my wagon, I insist."

Before Sableye could respond, Shuckle's eyes widened. "Bucket!"

He sprung into the junk pile, snatching a bucket in his arms. "Yes...another one for my collection! This will be great help in the challenge!"

 **0000**

 **Sableye shuddered. "And people say I'M weird."**

 **0000**

 **Shuckle gulped as he held the bucket in his arms. "I know I look like a weakling, but I need to prove to these guys doesn't matter. I need to make up in brain with I can't make up in brawn. But having a bucket obsession is NOT helping matters."**

 **0000**

Parasect scuttled in front of the competitors. "Guys, we need a plan. If we assign certain positions-"

"Save it bug," Electivire growled. "You aren't ordering me around."

Parasect's blank eyes narrowed. "But I'm the captain! And this is insubordination!"

"And THIS is me not caring!" Electivire yelled as he used a powerful thunder punch to knock Parasect down the dock, where he struggled to his feet.

"Whoa! That's uncalled for!" Munchlax yelled, as Grovyle and he attempted to restrain the electric type. However, the wire's on Electivire simply batted them aside.

Electivire grabbed Parasect and held him in the air. "From now on, you all listen to me, got it?"

Before Parasect could respond, a bucket flew through the air and struck Electivire on the head. Groaning, he released Parasect and slumped to the floor, groaning as he rubbed his head.

"Whoo! Go team Bucket!" Shuckle whooped. At the same time, Swampert grabbed Electivire and pinned him to the wall.

"Listen. Parasect is the leader, and with our honor, we will follow him and have faith in him. do you understand?" Swampert's voice was quiet, but the grip on Electivire was painful and loud and clear.

"Got...it…" Electivire muttered. Swampert let go, and helped him to feet when he fell to the floor.

Swampert looked to the rest of the team. "Does anyone else wish to challenge Parasect's leadership?"

"If I may?"

It was Scrafty that had spoken.

Scrafty smoked on his cigarette, choosing his words carefully. "I will follow Parasect, but what if he fails us?"

Swampert bowed. "If that happens, you can always vote him off. But while he is on this team, he will be our leader, and we MUST follow him. For if we can't survive together, we will all die alone."

Scrafty shrugged.

 **0000**

 **Scrafty looked thoughtful. "Swampert isn't dumb. He understands teamwork, and humility. If we cannot follow Parasect as a leader, we will never win a challenge." He paused for a moment, before chuckling. "But regardless, Parasect and Charizard MUST be eliminated quickly. Good leaders are commonly the ones that form alliances, and have the most connections to the members of their team. First chance I get, they are off the island."**

 **0000**

 **Parasect gulped. "I'm glad Swampert stood up for me, but geez….I didn't realize there would be this much pressure."**

 **0000**

No one else said anything against Parasect or Swampert.

Swampert nodded at Parasect. "What do you suggest we do?"

Parasect steeled his nerves. "Uh...yeah. Well first order of business is...do we have everything we need?"

The Zangooses nodded. Sableye had his box of mechanical objects in Shuckle's wagon, along with the bucket (which now had a bloodstain on it.) Grovyle gathered some vitals for camping, while Tepig tossed the boomerang in his trotter.

"..Alright. So does anyone have any experience with boats? Like how to steer?"

Tepig raised his hand. "I used to navigate cruises for tourists. Lost me license though."

 **0000**

" **Bloody Tentacruel attacked me ship. it managed to land a poison sting on me. An' after a few minutes of horrible pain….the tentacruel died." Tepig smirked as he fingered his boomerang, before his expression became thoughtful. "The boat blew up by the way."**

 **0000**

Parasect snapped his pinchers restlessly. "Alright then let's get boarding!"

The Pokemon sprinted onto the ferry, carrying supplies with them. Tepig grinned as he switched his fedora with a captain's hat as he went to the captain's quarters.

Meanwhile, Charizard barked orders to the Seviper's, ordering their positions and what to nab from the pile.

"Machoke, you do the heavy lifting that other Pokemon can't carry. Lucario and Lopunny, prepare the boat. Now, does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing?"

Bulbasaur raised one of his vines in the air."Ooh, ooh I do. My dad lets me take joyrides on his yacht all the time!"

"Good. You handle that then. Now let's beat those Zangoose!"

It wasn't long before both boats left, the Zangoose slightly ahead. Munchlax looked back at the Striking Seviper's ship slowly being left behind.

"Guys, we're winning!"

0000

"Guys, we're losing!" Shouted Braxien in dismay. At the back of the other boat, Sableye stuck out his tongue. Misdreavus returned it with interest.

 **0000**

 **Wow... it's only the beginning of the challenge and we're still losing" Braxin said as she signed. "If we lose now, we'll be at a disadvantage and I might be sent packing. My team is already iffy about me. Man, my introduction did not do what it was intended to do. Maybe I should've went with the classic threat instead of burning that tree... "**

 **0000**

" **Man, there was nothing good in that pile" Haxorus stated as he pouted. "I wonder if anyone else found something interesting"**

 **0000**

 **Carbink smiled as he held a bunch of wood, an empty sack, and a very sharp butter knife. "It's surprising how much useless junk were in that pile after Sableye was done with it. However, I did manage to grab these things, which may help me in the future. I already have an idea about what I can use the knife and wood for, as for the sack that may be useful in the future.**

 **0000**

 **Zoura scoffed as she held a big, old fashioned, and very girly camera. "By the time I was able to get to it, all i found was this thing. It's not even digital! But… it may come in handy."**

Charizard growled. "We aren't finished yet. It's time to unleash the fliers. Talonflame, Gliscor, you guys fast?"

Gliscor shrugged, but Talonflame smirked. "8 gold medals says I am."

Charizard nodded thoughtfully. "Then Misdrevous and I will go as well. Swimmers, this is your job too. The ferry just isn't cutting it, so anyone is a strong swimmer, do so. Bulbasaur, you can hold down the ship in the meantime, got it?"

"Aye, Aye Captain!" Bulbasaur shouted, raising a vine to salute him.

 **0000**

" **I've ALWAYS wanted to say that," Bulbasaur squealed.**

 **0000**

Meanwhile, Victini and Gallade were watching all of this from the other island, which they got to through Victini's teleporting abilities. Even without exploring the island, Gallade already knew that this island was much crappier than the one he was just on. As they watched, Victini attempted to make small talk with the fighting type pokemon.

"Um… so yeah… I've accidentally miscounted how many people were supposed to be on the island and added Frogadier," Victini said as he rubbed his knuckles together. "In a way, I guess that works out for you. I mean you get this whole island to yourself for a while and you don't have to compete today. If anything, you could look for the idol if you want."

Gallade paid no attention to him as he watched the competition unfold.

"You don't talk much do you?" Victini signed. Gallade just kept ignoring him.

 **0000**

" **Ok, I haven't even hosted this show for a day and I've already learned two things" Victini stated with a frustrated look. "One, never hire interns that don't have a college degree and two, make sure the contestants you select actually use their voice. There's no way Gallade will be receiving or delivering drama if he won't speak. I don't know why he won't, but I'm actually pretty curious as to how long he'll survive. You never know. Maybe he will be this series' money maker…"**

 **0000**

Meanwhile, the Sevipers were sailing as they saw Talonflame fly past them, followed by Charizard, and then Gliscor who both appeared a few seconds later. Misdrevous cackled as she winked at Sableye as she flew past, blowing a raspberry.

"There goes our lead," Mincinno deadpanned as he saw them.

Parasect clicked his claws impatiently. "This is NOT going according to plan! We need our fliers out there. Ninjask, how fast can you make it to the island from here?"

Ninjask smirked. "Faster than you can take a piss." He shot forward in the sky, leaving the ferry in his dust. Pidgey shouted indignantly. "Hey! I didn't find my buster sword for nothing! I'm following!" He shouted as he fluttered after.

In a few seconds, he managed to easily pass both Gliscor and Charizard and was about to pass Talonflame.

As he passed by him, Ninjask let out a cocky smile, infuriating the fire bird pokemon.

 **0000**

 **Honestly, I thought it wouldn't have to come to this, but NOONE is allowed to pass me. Time to deploy operation gale wings," Talonflame stated as he let out a small, but evil laugh.**

 **0000**

After witnessing Ninjask pass him, Talonflame did a loop-de-loop in the air. As he was about to finish, he used aerial ace and flew after Ninjask in such a speed that shames even Deoxys. It didn't even take two seconds until Talonflame was yards past Ninjask, returning a even cockier smile.

 **0000**

 **Ninjask sat in the confessional in shock, one of his eyes twitching.**

 **0000**

" **HOLY MOTHER OF Arceus, THAT IS FAST!" Shouted Gliscor.**

 **0000**

Meanwhile, the swimmers had dived into the water. Swampert moved at a speed he could never had reached on land, followed by Frogadier, and Machoke, who swum in easy practice strokes. Though they were not even close to the fliers, they were closing in on the Zangoose boat.

"Crud." Said Munchlax as he used a pair of binoculars to look at the fliers. "Ninjask has no chance of catching up to Talonflame like that."

"We'll have to use attacks to knock them down then," Said Parasect grimly. Electivire grinned and clenched a fist.

"No way we are close enough though," said Shuckle sensibly. Sableye shook his head.

"That's where you're wrong. We'll use these," chattered Sableye, gesturing to cannons on the sides of the ship.

"Um… where did those come from?" Smeargle asked, clearly remembering that the ferry never came with weapons.

"Made e'm myself just now," chattered Sableye, who looked nonplussed.

"How could you possibly-"

"I like building stuff."

"Sacre-bleu!" muttered Smeargle, impressed.

"Uh….are you sure those are safe?" Asked Munchlax. "Don't get me wrong, I want to win, but…"

"Won't know till we try," Said Bidoof, taking Scrafty's cigarette lighter and lighting the cannon, firing a shot.

Scrafty and Munchlax shrugged as they both joined, and soon the air was filled with cannon balls as they fired.

On the Seviper's ship, Audino gasped. "Oh no! We'll lose our lead!"

"Not if I can help it," growled Lucario, charging up an aura sphere. With a grunt she fired it, striking the ship, destroying a few cannonballs that were in the air. The impact ended up sending Minccino and Sableye flying backwards.

"Guys, let sink their battleship!" Lopunny cried as Ampharos grinned, firing a thunderbolt while Braxien shot a stream of fire from her stick. Carbink rose high in the air, unleashing a powerful Moonblast attack.

Parasect growled as he threw up a protective shield, attempting to block all of the attacks. However, his shield was too small and only was able to block some of the incoming projectiles, mainly the majority of the cannonballs.

"Counterattack!" He shouted.

Electivire grinned as he and Plusle both fired lightning attacks. Parasect used a razor leaf as Grovyle sent a massive leaf storm towards the Seviper's ship.

The attacks hit each other in midair, Pokemon weaving to avoid blasts of energy. Carbink hissed in pain as he fell out of the air, hit by a thunderbolt.

Before an attack could hit the falling rock type, Haxorus dove in out of nowhere, tackling Carbink out of the way.

"Uh...you okay?" Asked Haxorus kindly. Carbink smiled as his savior helped him up.

"I'm Fine, thanks to you. I'm Carbink."

"Haxorus, nice to meet you."

The two couldn't handshake, so they simply headbutted each other playfully.

 **0000**

" **I can't afford to make friends. I'm here to win, and nothing more." Said Carbink bluntly. "But I could use an ally...Haxorus is nice, strong, and not very bright. I could manipulate him easily," Carbink chuckled darkly.**

 **0000**

As the Pokemon sent special attacks at one another, Swampert, Frogadier, and Swampert swum by, quickly swimming past the Ferries. Plusle's eyes widened upon seeing them, before she got an idea.

"Sorry guys, but you are in for a shock!" Plusle giggled playfully as she fired a blast of lightning into the water. The electric current shocked both Machoke and Frogadier, who both hissed in pain. Swampert was unaffected however, and gave Plusle a small smile as he kept swimming.

In the air, Charizard grumbled as cannonballs flew around him, he barely dodging them.

But Gliscor, having set up a sandstorm around him, dodged them easily, almost enjoying it as he spun in circles lazily.

Charizard's thoughts were cut off by an angry shout.

"Now Evildoer, prepare to meet your doom!" Shouted Pidgey as he prepared to attack. "Now prepare for my back slash-AHHHHHH!"

Charizard simply batted him aside, as if he were a fly, sending him into the water below.

 **0000**

 **Pidgey growled as he sat down inside the confessional, droplets of water falling off him. "Curse that ruffian! I swear that the next time we meet he will face the wrath of excalibur!"**

 **0000**

Meanwhile, the Zangoose have been trying to hit Gliscor for the last couple of minutes.

"Damn….we can't hit this guy…" Munchlax muttered. By this time, both Misdrevous and Charizard had been struck by cannons, but Gliscor was a dodging menace. And they couldn't even risk aiming for Talonflame without therisk of hitting Ninjask.

"We need t' end this fight by nippin' it by th' bud!" Shouted Bidoof. "That Talonflame is th' only reason we're losin' right now."

"How do you expect to do that?" Asked Scrafty dryly.

"Well…. while you guys were fighting, I just made a more accurate cannon for longer targets!" Exclaimed Sableye. "But… due to the limited supplies I had, it needs something smaller and lighter than the cannonballs we have."

"Seriously, how do you do that?" Asked Smeargle as he finished painting a small but beautiful self portrait on the rigging.

"The same way you just painted THAT!"

Scrafty ignored them. "Well it's pointless then. We may as well just think of someone to boot off."

"Fire Shuckle."

It took everything the zangoose had to hold in their laughter. Then they realized who had said it. Umbreon, who nearly everyone had forgotten about, spoke,

Umbreon raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Shuckle laughed nervously. "Uh...I know I lack a lot of mobility, but do you really have to automatically judge me as a bad-"

"That's not what I meant. I mean fire Shuckle out of the cannon."

"That...might work actually." Said Minccino thoughtfully. Shuckle's eyes widened. "WHAT!? You guys can't be….serious?"

"You ARE a rock type." Minccino noted. "It'll do a lot of damage if you use something like rollout."

"Plus...your shell is practically indestructible," remarked Scrafty. "Let's try it!"

Munchlax and Bidoof carried Shuckle to the cannon. "We only have one shot at this!" Muttered Smeargle. "Be careful, mon amie!"

"Leave that to me." Sableye's eyes narrowed.

"Don't I get a say in this!?" Shuckle gulped. The only answer he received was a yawn from Slowpoke. "Guys?"

 **0000**

 **"WHY DID I SIGN UP FOR THIS SHOW!" Shouted Shuckle, shivering.**

 **0000**

On the Seviper side, Zorua and Whimsicott ducked to avoid another thunderbolt.

"Plant face!" Shouted Zorua. "Why can't you pass them!?"

Bulbasaur shouted back, indignantly. " I'm trying! Whoever's navigating this thing is insane! They keep cutting me off-OW!"

A boomerang hit Bulbasaur, knocking him out, before spinning around to the other boat, where it flew into Tepig's hand, where he was steering with one trotter.

The boat slowed to a stop immediately. Zorua snarled in rage, but Whismicott grabbed her shoulder, jumping up and down.

"Look, its land straight ahead! And Talonflame's almost there. We're going to win! Woo-hoo!"

Zorua shoved Whismicott away with her tail. "We'd better…"

 **0000**

" **Directional influence, mate," Tepig said with a cocky grin, happily stroking the boomerang in his hand.**

 **0000**

Meanwhile, Shuckle was finished being loaded in the cannon. He gulped.

"While you're being fired out of a cannon, please make sure to keep loose items tied down, and all limbs safely tucked in before flying with us today at Tepig's Boomerang airways. We'll always come back for ya," shouted Tepig from the controls.

"TEPIG, I HATE YOU!"

"Your welcome, mate!"

Scrafty walked to the cannon, swivelling it in his hands. "So where do I aim this thing Sableye? Give me coordinates."

Sableye shouted them at the top of his lungs, and Scrafty aimed the cannon, squinting with one eye. "All right. On my mark."

"No wait! On mine!" shouted Sableye frantically. "Let me calculate it."

Scrafty rolled his eyes but complied, not yet firing the cannon.

"Hold….hold…..NOW!"

Scrafty fired the cannon, and Shuckle's red shell shot through the air, passing in an arc over Scrafty's head….

0000

Victini, still dying of laughter from Pidegy's pathetic display of "swordsmanship" turned to face Gallade.

"I bet you're glad that you're not out there, right?" he said with a smile. Gallade continued to disregard him and continued to watch the competition.

"Talk about rude…" Victini muttered under his breath as he continued to watch. Gallade just rolled his (uncovered) eye.

 **0000**

" **You know, getting hit by that cannonball reminded me of something." Charizard stated as he rubbed his head, "Gallade is probably at the finish line right now, watching all of this take place. Just by watching us, he might be able tell most of our strengths and weaknesses. Not only that, but we know absolutely nothing about this guy! Still, I have no idea why he didn't raise his hand for the mega evolution thing… I've got to keep a close eye on him."**

 **0000**

 **Gallade's one eye darkly gleamed, his arms crossed and his body leaning onto right wall of the confessional. Slowly, a small but intimidating smile formed on his face.**

 **0000**

Talonflame grinned. The land was just in sight! He flew faster, and he soon drew closer and closer…

BAM!

Shuckle's shell struck Talonflame's head, who squawked in pain as he plummeted into the water below. Ninjask shot past, hitting the sand of the beach with a thud.

"AND THE ZANY ZANGOOSES WIN!" Yelled Victini, Gallade at his side.

"You guys get immunity AND Gallade!"Victini crowed.

"AND a migraine," muttered Ninjask, but he soon joined in on the other Pokemon on his team's cheering.

 **0000**

" **I just love the fact that Gallade was treated as a reward" Lopunny stated as she tried to hold a snicker.**

 **0000**

 **Charizard looks at the camera angrily, "Damn! Not only did we lose, but now Gallade's on the other team. It's going to be harder than i thought to keep an eye on him. Out of everyone here, he's certantly the most suspicious. Not to memtion that he saw most of us in action."**

 **0000**

 **Pidgey was cheering in the confessional. "YES, we won! And it's all thanks to my amazing abilities."**

 **0000**

 **Lucario looked into the camera with a scared look. "Not only have we lost and have to vote someone off, but the winning team just got a new teammate. This puts us at a major disadvantage for future challenges."**

 **0000**

"Anyways, let me show you guys around" Victini stated as he lead them down a path, which leads inside a forest. After a few seconds, they arrive at two run down cabins.

"These are where you'll stay for the rest of the competition. Of course, one of you won't be staying. Which leads us to the elimination ceremony. For all but one of you, this will be the last thing you see before you walk the dock of shame home."

The Seviper's looked at each other nervously.

Victini gave them a grin. "This leads us to the first twist of the series. The WINNERS will be picking the first to leave."

The Seviper's all gasped as one.

 **0000**

 **Carbink starts shaking, "That's tauroshit! I mean, not only do they get a brand new teammate, but now they can eliminate one of our best members. Hopefully, they end up doing something stupid.**

 **0000**

 **Grovyle smirks, "Though this may seem unfair, now we can eliminate a major threat right away. The question is, who?''**

 **0000**

 **Charizard groans,"This….completely changes the situation."**

 **0000**

 **Talonflame signed as he rubbed his head, "man, last thing I remember was being hit by a rock. Apparently we lost. No matter, MY team will never vote me off. They, of course need me. Without me, they'll fall.**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty rubs his hands together, "This challenge worked out for us. I learned strengths of three unlikely competitors. Umbreon is apparently REALLY good at thinking outside the box, Sableye is great with math, and Shuckle has the survivability of a cockroach. This is a great way to measure threat levels. Oh! And voting off a threat right off the bat is icing on the cake."**

 **0000**

 **Shuckle dizzly stumbles around the confessional. "Mommy, I don't WANT to eat another rock, the Ariados will get in." With that he slumps to the floor.**

 **0000**

The nervous Seviper's sit on logs at the elimination ceremony, nervously looking at each other. No one spoke, but everyone knew they were thinking the same thing. Who would go home?

"Competitors. This is this is the first elimination, and the last elimination or one of you. I have the votes right here."

"Get on with it!" Zorua snapped, though she looked terrified.

"All right, all right." Victini said, raising his hand. "I have seventeen Poffins in my hand. One of you will not receive one, and be forced to leave. The first one goes to…..Lopunny."

The bunny breathed a sigh of relief as she got up, picking up her treat.

"Carbink...Braixen….Haxorus…" Carbink and Haxorus gave each other a headbutt as the three of them snatched up their respective Poffins.

"Whimsicott...Frogadier….and Bulbasaur."

As the three got up, the remaining competitors stared at each other, terrified.

"Not too many of them are there?" Asked Victini, clearly milking the moment. "But Audino, you don't need to worry, because you are safe. And so are Misdreavus and Machoke."

Audino hugged Misdreavus in joy, and Machoke flexed his muscle.

The remaining competitors glanced at each other. Charizard growled, clenching a fist, while Infernape twitched and vibrated. Donphan shared a look with Gliscor, while Talonflame nervously tapped on the ground. Zorua glared at them, while Lucario stared at the ground uneasily. Ampharos shuddered.

"Ampharos...Lucario...and Donphan. The three of you are safe."

Ampharos gave the other two of a high five, but then cringed as they were both shocked by his static.

"Zorua and...Infernape, you are also safe from elimination tonight."

This only left three competitors. Gliscor nervously clicked his claws. Charizard shifted in his seat, and Talonflame closed his eyes.

"The three of you all racked up votes. Gliscor, your dodging skill did really well in the challenge. Charizard, are they going for the leader right away? And Talonflame, let's just say if you got voted out, it would be a FAST elimination."

Talonflame growled at him as he chuckled at his own joke.

"Charizard, you are safe."

Charizard huffed in relief, stomping past Victini. "Call me earlier next time."

Gliscor and Talonflame glanced at one another. "The final Poffin goes to…..

…

…

…

…

…..  
Gliscor."

Gliscor slumped backwards. He was safe.

"Talonflame, sorry...but your out."

Talonflame sighed. "I'll grab my bags."

 **0000**

" **No way could he stay in the game," said Munchlax, shivering. "He was hella broken."**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty sighed, lighting a cigarette. "Honestly I'm dissapointed. I wanted Charizard out. Taking out a future leader is a lot better then just getting out some guy who's fast. The challenges aren't just going to be physical, make no mistake."**

 **00000**

" **I had a feeling when everyone's names were called that I was the one." Talonflame said sighing. "Being first eliminated sucks...but I guess it's not so bad to be one that was taken out because I was too good. Who do I want to win?" He shrugged. "I guess Ninjask. He's ALMOST as fast as me. Hopefully he'll pick up the slack."**

 **0000**

Talonflame got into the boat, huffing as it slowly crawled home. "Hey! If we go any slower, we'll go back in time, to like 2006 or something? And I do NOT want to go back to 2006. It was a BAD time for me."

Just then the boat tipped over. Victini grumbled. "Stop complaining. Anyway, stay tuned for the next exciting episode of Total….Pokkemon…"

"Help I'm drowni-!"

"ISLAND!"

0000

Whew...that's another long chapter.

So we get to see some moments from some competitors, and our first elimination. Talonflame….was really just meant to be overpowered for one episode and be kicked off right away.

Fun fact: Talonflame has won the Poke ringer competition (You know the one with the birds in the anime) 14 times in a row.

Well….that's all folks!

Talonflame: Review! Gotta go fast!


	3. Chapter 3: Sleepless in Pokkemon Island

Author's note- hi guys DT here, and… well I've got nothing much to say other than the fact that this chapter may not be as exciting as the last or future ones. Review and enjoy :-)

Shuckle Master: Back for another chapter! This one will...be different to say the least. We'll see what happens!

0000

Grovyle was walking around the island with a scowl on her face, staring at all of the litter and all of the general uncleanliness.

 **0000**

" **I can't believe how screwed up this island is, especially compared to the secret Skerry. Once I win the million, I'm buying this and restoring it, that's for sure," Grovyle mutters.**

 **0000**

Carbink cursed, looking under rocks, inside the holes of trees, and even bravely entered a few different caves. But wherever he looked, the idol was never there.

"Uh….hey Carbink I finally found you!"

Carbink bit back a cry of frustration, instead turning and smiling at Haxorus, who had evidently been searching for him.

"Oh….hi Haxorus. Just taking a look around the island."

"Oh, okay! I just wanted to say that Victini is calling us down for an early breakfast. I think our next challenge is today."

"Oh….alright then. I'll be down in a moment."

 **0000**

" **I'm trying to find that damn idol," Carbink admitted. "With that on my side, I'll win for sure! But I can't find it. Maybe if I got Haxorus to help…."**

 **0000**

While Carbink and Haxorus were gone, the other males from the Striking Sevipers were using this time to settle in as best as they could.

"Dear Dialga, this place is awful" Gliscor explained as he stretched his back. "My bed felt like a bunch of rocks."

"Man, and I thought I was being a spoiled brat for thinking that," Bulbasaur responded with a sigh of relief.

"Unfortunately, we have to suck it up and make due with what we got," Charizard growled as he stretched his wings.

 **0000**

 **Charizard sighed as he cracked his back. "I'm pretty sure these beds were made out of rocks and cement, and maybe some sort of metallic substance. Titanium….maybe?"**

 **0000**

 **Victini smirked at the camera. "Guilty as charged."**

0000

At the girl's side, things were a bit more calm, except for Zorua's constant complaining.

"When I get my paws on that host, he'll wish he was never born!" Zoura shouted as she paced around the cabin, occasionally stopping to stretch. Eevee was under the covers, trying to avoid the angry fox.

"This cabin is shit! How could he expect us to live in THIS!"

"Calm down." Whimsicott stated. "You're overreacting. I mean, I slept like a baby."

"Well, not everyone has cotton hair like you!" Zorua barked.

 **0000**

 **Whimsicott was casually floating around the confessional. "While Zoura does need to take a chill pill, she is right. The cabins suck, the forest looks like it's been bombed, and don't even get me started on this confessional. Oh...OH Arceus I just breathed through my nose...turn off the cam I'm going to-"**

 **0000**

While the Sevipers were settling in, the other team was doing the same.

"Wow… is it just me or is this the shittiest beds of all time'' Electivire growled as he got up from his bed.

"I must agree" Swampert stated. "These beds are most uncomfortable."

"Buncha' pansies." Tepig grinned, looking completely refreshed.. "Compared to what I've slept on, these beds were absolute bliss."

"We can't all be freaks of nature like you, Tepig!" Ninjask snarled as he rubbed his own back, the four of them getting up to walk to the cafeteria. "Come on, let's get somethin' to eat."

When they arrived, they were not impressed to say the least. While the cafeteria looked bad, it was slightly more pleasing to look at than the cabins.

By the time most of them were there, Victini popped out and greeted them. "Hello competitors! Have a nice night!?"

"My night was great, but your mum hogged all the sheets," Tepig said cheekily. He and Ninjask high fived.

Victini flipped him off, before gesturing to where a chubby Pokemon that resembled a sumo wrestler, who was preparing food. "Go get some breakfast, and then we'll start."

Just then, Carbink and Haxorus ran into the cafeteria, both completely out of breath.

"Sorry for being late" Carbink wheezed as he and Haxorus made their way to their team.

Scrafty gave them an interested look, as he went up to get some food.

"You know, Grovyle, Umbreon, and Gallade are still missing" Audino counted on her hands as she walked towards where her team was sitting.

About two minutes later, Grovyle walked into the cafeteria and made her way to her team.

"Where were you?" Minccino stated as Grovyle sat down.

"I was exploring the scenery. The quality of this island is very poor."

"Uh, you just realized this now?" Pidgey asked out of disbelief, flicking away a small maggot with a talon.

A few moments later, Umbreon strolled in and quietly sat next to her team, making sure to leave a decent sized gap between her and the person she was sitting next to, which happened to be Bidoof. He tried to make small talk with her, but she would either stay silent or answer very shortly.

Finally, about five minutes later, Gallade strolled in, completely bypassing the Sevipers and made his way towards the sumo wrestler pokemon. After receiving his food, he went to a corner and began eating, carefully watching both teams.

 **0000**

 **Munchlax looks at the camera disgusted. "Man, the one thing that beats this confessional in disgustingness is the food. I give it negative one out of ten stars. It took me everything I had to finish it, and that's saying something since my job is to basically go around and eat food. Hell, I think mine's even moved."**

 **0000**

 **0000**

 **Minccino is seen breathing through a paper bag. "This island is ABSOLUTELY filthy!" She then proceeds to breath heavily and quickly for the next few seconds.**

 **0000**

"Um….can we have something a little more...appetizing?" Asked Ampharos. The sumo like Pokemon glared at him. "You eat Hariyama's grub, and you like it." Ampharos nodded, slowly backing away.

"Alright teams, it' time for your second challenge, so let's get this show on the road!" Shouted Victini.

"Next challenge is simple. We call it an...awakeathon!"

"Mew already did it, remember?" Asked Ninjask patronizingly.

"Shut up Ninjask! Now in an awakeathon, the rules are simple, all of you will try to stay up for as long as you can. Last one awake wins it for their team."

"Seems easy enough," Machoke said as he smirked.

"I knew someone would say that, so I've devised a few obstacles to make this interesting. First one was the food. I've planted some chemicals that will wear you down a bit, nothing serious. Second obstacle starts now. All of you must complete twenty laps around this island, starting at the bonfire and ending at the bonfire. Anyone not there by five o'clock is eliminated. You have six hours… GO!"" Victini shouted as all of the competitors either ran or walked to the bonfire, Ninjask in first and Slowpoke in dead last, barely having moved.

0000

Ninjask completed the task in about five minutes, waiting a long time for the other competitors. However, he seemed a bit worn out.

"Congrats on being first" Victini stated. "You get the pleasure of waiting here until the others arrive." Upon hearing this, Ninjak began twitching.

"Do you know how long that'll TAKE!?"

"Yes, I do. This is payback for all the sarcasm you've given me" Victini stated, a sly smile forming on his face.

 **0000**

" **I swear to Arceus that I'll get that fox for this," Ninjask stated as he cracked his knuckles.**

 **0000**

It was about a half and hour when the next competitors arrived. Grovyle flipped through the trees and climbed down in front of a bored and tired Ninjask, having secretly found a shortcut. Charizard landed down, stretching his wings, while Lucario smirked, looking like she hadn't broken much of a sweat. Lopunny arrived as well, looking a bit winded, but nonetheless fine.

Infernape shot through the trees, vibrating as he found the campfire. "Sorry I'm late, but I felt like doing an extra two laps."

After this point competitors began to arrive randomly. Machoke arrived, carrying a yawning Slowpoke. Pidgey was carried by an annoyed Gliscor.

Some of the other competitors arrived at much slower paces. Scrafty smoked as he walked in a leisurely stroll, while Tepig whistled as he arrived, walking past Minccino, who had worn herself out. When Munchlax arrived, he keeled over, puking.

Surprisingly, Gallade was the last to arrive only twenty minutes until time was up, having looked completely unfazed. He then looked over at some of the contestants and let out a small smirk when he saw some of their conditions. This didn't go unnoticed by Scrafty or Charizard.

 **0000**

" **Huh, so Scythes DOES know how to play this game," Scrafty says, using a sharp knife to make a carving into the wall. "He'll be fun to knock down."**

 **0000**

" **I see what he did there" Charizard explained, "the reason why he was last was because he went as slowly as possible. It'll explain why everyone passed him at least once. Seriously though, I've got to keep a close eye on him."**

"All right, that looks like everyone then, so-!"

"Oi! You forgot the cripple, his partner, and Picasso, fox face!" Shouted Tepig. Victini gave him a look. "I most certainly did not-"

"Did." Ninjask drawled. "I can vouch for that."

Victini growled. "SHUT UP NINJASK! I'm sure they'll be there as quick as they can!"

It was at least another five minutes until they arrived, Bidoof looking like he was barely breathing as he dragged Shuckle's wagon. Shuckle looked like he was having a wonderful time.

Bidoof gasped, slumping over. "Next time….you carry me…."

Victini smirked at them. "That just leaves Smeargle. He'd better hurry, he only has twenty minutes left to get here before we start the challenge."

But it was soon long after twenty minutes, and Smeargle still hadn't showed up. "All right! That's it, I'll look for him" Victini stated as he flew into the forest. About ten minutes later, he flew back, Smeargle next to him.

"Sorry I'm late guys" Smeargle stated, "I was trying to find motivation for my next portrait. Unfortunately, due to ze crappy landscape, I've got nothing. "

"Well, you're wondering cost you the challenge, giving your team a disadvantage. Now head back to the campsite and go relax 'till the challenge is over."

Smeargle, having been a bit worn out, happily made his way to his cabin, glad that he didn't have to compete any further.

 **0000**

" **So this is how having almost an entire island to yourself feels like" Smeargle stated. "I'm kinda envious of Gallade. He had this whole island to himself while we competed. I wonder if he found the idol already."**

 **0000**

After turning on the timer, Victini announce that the challenge had started. As campers pulled up something to sit on, Parasect motioned his team to huddle up.

"Guys, we may be down a man, but we still have one more than them. We have an advantage still, so we can handle this."

"Uh...Parasect? We're down two now." said Munchlax, pointing at a snoring Slowpoke.

"...Crap."

Tepig leaned back, putting his fedora over his eyes. "Well, if that's all, then I guess I'll have me a nap."

"Are you serious!?" hissed Minccino. "You are throwing the challenge away."

Tepig scoffed. "Don't worry, sweetheart. You'll have all the time to flirt with me after you win."

"But you can't…" Minccino sputtered. But Tepig was already asleep.

"And that's three out for the Zany Zangoose, and it hasn't even been five minutes!"

 **0000**

" **What an arrogant jerk!" shouts Minccino, folding her arms. "I swear, if we lose…**

 **0000**

Charizard grinned as he saw the Zangoose's in disarray. "We have the advantage team, but don't let your guard down. Do whatever it takes to keep yourself awake."

"Uhh… sorry to ruin your motivational speech captain, but Eevee's already knocked out" Whimsicott stated as she pointed one of her stubby arms at the normal type pokemon, who was, in fact, asleep.

"... Crap."

 **0000**

" **It's a good thing Eevee fell asleep before I did" Whimsicott states as she floats around the confessional. "Truth be told, my hair is so soft, that I'll fall asleep very soon. So if I do, at least I won't be a target if we lose."**

 **0000**

" **Maybe it wasn't a good idea to scare Eevee shitless. " Says Misdreavus, her eyes wide. She giggles. "It was HILARIOUS though."**

 **0000**

As hours began to creep by, Pokemon began to slowly drop. Bidoof was passed out by the third hour mark, and Whimsicott light snooze took her out of the competition. However, Infernape looked as hyper as ever, Gallade was still observing everyone else, and Umbreon simply stared straight ahead, but the rest were beginning to become tired.

Lucario stared at Umbreon, who consciously avoided her gaze. Why was she so….quiet?

"Hey."

Lucario eyed Lopunny, who had spoken to her. "Be careful. She's on the other team you know."

"Yeah...I know."

Lopunny grinned at her. "I noticed that pendant around your neck. Where is it from?"

Lucario blushed, looking down. "Oh! Uh….nothing. It holds my mega stone, and it was a gift from….um a friend."

Lopunny's grin grew wider. "Oooh. You have someone special at home?"

Lucario blushed even further.

"You DO have a boyfriend! All right, sister, tell me everything about him."

Lucario rolled her eyes. "No. I don't see how this is any of your business…"

Lopunny pouted.

Elsewhere, Carbink nudged a sleepy Haxorus. "Huh? Wuzzat?"

"Hey. I was wondering if we could form an alliance. You know, work together to get farther into the game."

"Wow! That sounds great!"

"Sshhhhhhh. We need to be quiet about it."

The Zangoose were determined to pick up the slack. Umbreon stared directly at the rising moon, Scrafty leaned back against a tree, smoking, a now large pile of burnt cigarettes at his feet. Munchlax, meanwhile struck a conversation with Plusle.

"Hey… how do you manage to stay so chipper?" he asked drowsily.

Plusle smiled. "I'm a nightowl, but believe me, I'm tired as well. This challenge isn't any easier than the last one."

"Tell me about it...zzz…"

"Hey! Stay awake! Souffles, Quiche, hors d'oeuvres!" Plusle shouted.

Munchlax shook off his daze immediately. "You had me at Quiche."

As Plusle giggled, Sableye sketched a crude drawing of his favorite gemstone. "Ah…..opal...one day I will find you."

"Hey...what's that you're drawing there?"

Sableye hissed, as Misdreavus giggled behind him. "Don't do that. You shouldn't even be here, we're on different teams!"

Misdreavus did a midair somersault. "Aww c'mon! Everyone's too tired to argue. Let's have some fun."

Zorua seemingly materialized behind them. "Misdreavus, you can NOT talk to the enemy."

Misdreavus stuck out her tongue. "I'll hang out with whoever I want. You don't get to decide."

nk-

"Well I CAN decide if you get eliminated or not. Fraternizing with the enemy makes you look suspicious. I'm just trying to warn you as a friend." Zorua said, clearly trying to look sweet.

 **0000**

" **Tauros crap." Said Misdreavus shortly. "She's just wants me out. Whatever...I'll show her. No one messes with the prankster queen and gets away with it!"**

 **0000**

"Mind your own business, Zorua. Slowpoke has more charisma then you'll ever have!"

Zorua hissed. "You'll regret doing this. What if he gets you to spill all our secrets!"

"Uh...girls? Do I get a say in this?" Asked Sableye. Both Zorua and Misdreavus glared at him.

"No!"

Shuckle was a bit more awake on the others, speaking to Swampert, who despite his discipline, was looking exhausted.

"Hm….you aren't gonna win this, are you?" Asked Shuckle dryly. Swampert sighed. "Probably not. I am an early morning person, and I don't do well at night time, normally I would simply sleep but the challenge…"

Electivire jumped out of nowhere, swinging down his arm in a brick break.

"Whoa! Swampert look out!" Shouted Shuckle. Swampert, however caught the electric type with his hand and flipped him over easily, where Electivire groaned in pain, before falling unconscious.

 **000**

" **Damn." Said Electivire, impressed. "He has good reflexes. Worth a try though."**

 **000**

Shuckle whistled lowly. "Wow...that was cool!"

Swampert gave him a tired smile. "It wasn't easy, but Electivire isn't exactly subtle. Unfortunately, we're down another player."

000

It wasn't long before competitors were dropping like flies. Haxorus and Swampert fell asleep around the same time, while Ninjask soon passed out out after sheer boredom.

By now...everyone was looking tired. Plusle was the only thing keeping Munchlax awake, while Minccino eye's kept opening and closing. Machoke kept punching a tree over and over again to stay awake, but accidentally knocked it down. Grovyle flew at him, but Frogadier managed to hold her in a full nelson. She fought and kicked, angrily shouting about the loss of the wildlife, but Frogadier jabbed her quickly, and she went limp, her eyes rolling onto the back of her head.

 **0000**

" **Pressure points." Said Frogadier, grinning. "Gotta love them."**

 **0000**

Scrafty eventually gave in, leaning against the tree as he closed his eyes. Carbink quickly followed, vaguely warning Sableye to stay away. Ampharos tried to repeatedly shock himself, Donphan giving him a strange, tired look.

"Uh...you okay there?"

"F-fine. Gotta st-stay awake!"

Donphan bit his lip. "Are you sure this is gonna help?" He was immune to the electricity, but was a worried about the poor sheep like Pokemon.

Suddenly Ampharos hissed in pain as he accidentally landed a critical hit on himself. He whimpered in pain as he fell to his side, sleeping.

Donphan winced. "Ow..that must have hurt. At least he won't hrut himself anymore"

The remaining competitors on the Zangoose team looked determined to stay awake. Parasect sat perfectly straight without moving, perfectly concentrated. Gallade paced back and forth, quietly keeping watch over everyone, as Umbreon gave the other team a cold look with her red eyes. Minccino looked like she was on the verge of falling asleep, same as Plusle and Munchlax. Shuckle looked tired but determined to prove himself, his bucket on his head. Sableye continued drawing, but he was so tired he didn't realize he was drawing a risque picture of Misdreavus. Pidgey swung his sword in practice, shouting strange battle cries as he did so.

The Sevipers weren't faring much better. Charizard folded his arms, his eyes boring into Gallade's. Zorua grit her teeth, trying to keep her eyes open similarly to Minccino. Infernape was as energetic as ever, but there was a definite droop in his posture. Misdreavus yawned, while looking at Sableye in the corner of her eye. Braixen shot fireballs in the air to keep herself awake, and Machoke used wake up slap on himself. Audino arrived with a bunch of blankets, spreading them on the sleeping Pokemon.

For at least an hour, nothing changed. And then Machoke grunted as he finally gave in. Bulbasaur followed, muttering about his dad's curfew.

Munchlax felt his eyes go blurry, and began to slip. Plusle managed to catch him. "Whoa...don't give up yet!"

Munchlax let out a heavy yawn that drifted to Plusle. She dropped him, now extremely drowsy herself. "Sorry...that I used yawn by….accident." He flopped down, fast asleep.

"Don't...worry about it" Plusle stated, yawning in the process.

0000

By sunrise, the number of pokemon drastically fell. Audino was sound asleep, Sableye and Misdreavus snoring right next to each other. Plusle, having been put to sleep by Munchlax's yawn, was lightly snoozing next to a passed out Munchlax. Frogadier, despite trying his hardest, fell asleep once the sun rose, a sleepy Donphan following suit. Pidgey had lost the strength to swing his sword and now snuggled with it as he slept. Braixen drited off soon, her eyes too heavy to keep open.

However, some contestants were still hanging on. Charizard, though very tired, was keeping himself awake by rubbing his eyes. Shuckle and Umbreon were looking at a random tree, while Lopunny and Lucario attempted to have a conversation, though constantly loosing track on what they were talking about. Parasect was quietly humming a small song while Zoura constantly shook herself awake. Umbreon was playing with a rock, occasionally looking at the other contestants, making sure they weren't watching her..

Surprisingly, Gallade seemed to be gone. No one knew where he had gone during the night, but everyone was too tired to care.

 **0000**

 **The camera then shows a small hamlet hanging from a tree, made of sticks and leaves, with a fast asleep Gallade on it. Strangely, the tree had a carved message on it, stating "I already know who's going to win. Do not disturb."**

 **000**

Minccino tried to keep going, she honestly did, but eventually she succumbed to exhaustion. Gliscor groaned as he fell backward from the tree he was next to.

Zorua grit her teeth, she would fall asleep any second though. But Shuckle….clearly he was the least tired of all of them. If left alone, he could win.

She smirked. Not if she could help it. Her form changed, looking now exactly like Shuckle. Smirking, she quickly slipped under his wagon. With a light tap, she pushed it, sending it down the hill. Shuckle gulped. "Wait, why am I moving-WHOA!"

He yelled as his wagon fell down the hill, knocking him down into a river. Hearing his cry, the competitors turned around, but all they saw was a snoozing Shuckle.

 **000**

 **Zorua chuckled evilly. "I may be out, but I took down someone with me! We've won this challenge for sure!"**

 **000**

Lopunny fell flat on her face, muttering as she knocked out. A tired Lucario chuckled, but felt herself losing consciousness as well.

"Charizard...Infernape...you got this right?" Infernape gave her a grin. "That's right! We're not finished yet!" Charizard nodded tiredly.

Victini arrived, looking showered and refreshed. "Wow! Guys! It's been two days! And it looks like we're down to the final 4!"

Parasect glared at his two remaining opponents. "Don't worry Umbreon, we can take these guys."

Umbreon gave him a cool look. "Go to sleep Parasect."

Parasect looked at her questioningly. "What?"

She rolled her eyes. "You're dead on your feet. A good leader knows his own limits. Even if we did win, you'd be in no condition for the next challenge. Relax. Two of us being awake does not change the amount of time to stay awake. The challenge has already been decided. There is no point in you staying awake right now."

Parasect gave her a shocked look. "Whoa…..that's like philosophical….or….something."

He fell asleep.

Infernape gave Charizard a look. "You should uh...do what she said. I can handle it."

Charizard groaned. "You better not screw this up."

He flopped down, asleep as well.

"And here we have our final two! Who will win, Umbreon the antisocial or Infrenape, the hyperactive!"

Victini waited, but neither fell asleep. One hour...two hours….three hours…

"Okay, we're gonna speed this along!" Shouted Victini, annoyed. Hariyama arrived, carrying a tray that carried two drinks that looked like coffee.

"We'll let luck decide this. One cup has ordinary coffee, while the other has a powerful sleeping drug that will knock you out in less than a minute. Whoever drinks the regular cup, wins!"

Both Pokemon picked up their cups. Umbreon drunk hers apprehensively, while Infernape chugged his down. The two stared at each other for a moment until…

Infernape fell off his chair backwards. Many of the Zangoose' who had awoken by this time, cheered. Victini sighed, relieved it was finally over.

"And the winners are the Zany-huh?"

He looked on the earth. Infernape was not asleep, but instead twitching violently. "COFFEE!"

With a scream, Infernape ran around in several circles before shooting off as fast as his feet could carry him.

Victini's eyes widened. "But….if that was the coffee, then that means…"

He whirled around, Umbreon was sleeping soundly on her chair.

"That the Striking Seviper's win!'' As he said this, most of the sevipers instantly began cheering as the Zangoose signed in frustration.

"Zangoose, I'll see you at elimination."

 **0000**

" **Who to eliminate…" Swampert said as he quietly thought to himself. "Though Slowpoke isn't very useful and Tepig threw the challenge, I feel like the outcomes could've been different if Smeargle arrived on time."**

 **0000**

" **It's quite easy to tell who's going to be eliminated" Electivire growled. "Though Slowpoke and Smeargle were eliminated right before the challenge started, at least they didn't throw the challenge like Tepig did. We may have won if it wasn't for that bastard."**

 **0000**

" **Despite Tepig and Slowpoke's lack of contribution and cooperation to this challenge, I say our best bet is to eliminate Smeargle" Parasect stated as he scribbled something into a notebook. "Tepig could be useful to keep around as minor physical support while Slowpoke may prove himself to be helpful, either by helping the team form plans, or as bait. However, unless a future challenge is a talent show, Smeargle will most likely not be all that useful. If anything, our team is full of talented Pokemon… I hope."**

 **0000**

" **Who am I going to eliminate?" Machoke stated as he stared at the camera. "Easy, Slowpoke. I mean, what will the guy ever be useful for? At least Smeargle has his art."**

 **0000**

 **Minccino growled. "Tepig is gone!"**

 **0000**

Victini smiled as the Zangoose looked at one another, some with fear, some with anger, others with boredom, and in Slowpoke's case, laziness.

"Welcome to your first elimination ceremony" Victini stated, getting the Zangoose's attention. "How does it feel?''

"Really bad," Bidoof said sadly at they glared at the host.

Victini cleared his throat. "Pokeblocks in this game are not only a delicious treat, but represent life in a way, and the person who does not receive one will be forced to leave. Fortunately for you guys, you will be down to eighteen competitors, so it's not TOO big of a deal." He grinned.

"You've cast your votes and made your decision. The first Poke block goes to….Bidoof."

As Bidoof sighed in relief, Minccino glared at Tepig, who gave her a wink.

"Electivire….Umbreon….Pidgey…"

Electivire grumbled as he was forced to carry an unconscious Umbreon. Pidgey shouted strange nonsense in victory.

"Swampert...Munchlax….annnnnd Ninjask!"

Swampert gave Munchlax his own Pokeblock as Ninjask smirked as he ate his own.

"Minccino….Sableye….and Shuckle! Shuckle? Shuckle where are you!"

But Shuckle was nowhere to be found. Victini shrugged. "Whatever...he's safe anyway."

"Parasect and….Plusle are also safe! And so are Braixen and Scrafty!"

Only four Pokemon remained. Slowpoke looked as scared as he could be while yawning. Gallade didn't move, but his eye blinked. Tepig leaned backwards, grinning while Smeargle shuddered.

"Not too many left huh? Don't worry Gallade, but you are safe! Aren't you relieved?"

Gallade ignored him, stabbing his pokeblock with his blade. Victini sighed, exasperated.

"Seriously? Why couldn't you have just voted them out? Ugh, whatever only three left! Slowpoke...you are safe as well."

Slowpoke tottered and grabbed the pokeblock with his mind. Smeargle shivered, and Tepig simply arched an eyebrow.

"Two Pokemon, one Pokeblock. One of these two will leave, never to compete again-,"

"ARCEUS CHRIST!" Shouted Ninjask. "Get on with it, I'm freaking tired!"

"SHUT UP NINJASK, DON'T RUIN IT FOR ME!" Victini shouted. "The final Pokeblock goes to…"

"Tepig."

Tepig smirked as he tossed the pokeblock in his mouth. "Sorry mate, guess I came out on top."

Smeargle sighed. "Well I suppose it was for the best...sorry I wasn't too helpful.

" **I couldn't even find the idol! But I DID get some motivation! This island's disgustingness showed a struggling side of the wildlife! Something that shows such remarkable resistance and self-preservation is a beauty in its own right!" Smeargle said, chuckling a little. "So in a way...I won. Who do I want to win? Hmm….I'd have to say Sableye. His skills are truly marvelous indeed. And he understands the beauty of gemstones."**

 **000**

Minccino growled at Tepig. "How the hell did you get out of that?"

He stretched. "Guess, I'm a difficult wallaby to catch sweetheart. In fact, I don't even think you voted for me."

"I...you...urgh!" Miccinio blushed horribly. "You better work harder in challenges, or you'll be voted off!"

Tepig folded his arms, his smug grin never leaving. "You want me."

"RRGH!" She said. "You are IMPOSSIBLE."

000

ANNNNND we're done. Huh. I didn't like that one as much. It was a little too...boring.

fun fact: Smeargle would later become a famous Kalos painter, infamous for drawing 'desperation in a failing forest'.

ANYWAYS STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER AND REVIEW! YOU'D BETTER OR I'LL HATE YOU FOREVER! JUST KIDDING I LOVE YOU GUYS!

Smeargle: Review, mes bons amis.


	4. Chapter 4: Swords and Fists!

Author's note: Hi guys, Diamond Toxic here, just realized I forgot the fun fact for last chapter. We originally had a Gardevoir (that we created) that was going to compete, but we scrapped that idea since her character was our least creative and we thought we had an odd number of characters (which led to our miscount for the teams). Anyways, review and enjoy :-).

Shuckle Master: Hi guys, it's me with another chapter! Not much to say, so let's dive in!

0000

Shuckle burst out of the river, slowly dragging out his wagon with him. He was sopping wet and chilled to the bone. "H-how the hell did I fall, and where am I?" 

0000

Misdreavus cackled, hiding behind a wall next to Victini's cabin. Sableye was with her, giggling loudly. "Are you sure this is going to work…?"

"Positive, every time! This will be priceless!"

Just then, Victini walked out of his cabin, drinking coffee. Just as he exited the doorway, he tripped over a tripwire. He managed to steady himself, however.

"Ha! It'll take more then that to catch ME off guard-AHHH!"

A log tied to a rope swung down, slamming into Victini's face. He groaned as he fell backwards.

Sableye and Misdreavus, now both laughing hysterically, scattered.

"GOD DAMMIT! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

 **0000**

 **Misdreavus giggled in the confessional. "Sableye is AWESOME. He's smart and cool, with a troublemaker attitude. I don't know….he might not be interested in me…." she sighed, dejected.**

 **0000**

 **Sableye hopped up and down. "I am SOOOO into Misdreavus. Do you think I should ask her out? Oh wait...you can't answer back. Silly me."**

 **0000**

Lucario and Lopunny were walking in the forest, chatting along the way. During their free time, the two were able to bond a bit, and decided to look for the idol together. They searched for hours, unfortunately finding nothing.

"See anything?" Lopunny asked, shouting at a tree. A few seconds later, Lucario hopped down, a few leaves stuck on her.

"Unfortunately, I've found nothing" Lucario responded, shaking her head.

"Maybe someone already has it?"

"I highly doubt it. It's only been a week"

"Yeaaah, but keep in mind, some of the Pokemon here have an advantage when looking for the idol. Some Pokemon, like Charizard and Gliscor can fly, allowing them to cover more ground, while others, such as Grovyle and Tepig can easily spot the idol up to a mile away."

Lucario listened attentively as the bunny Pokemon spoke, giving her a nod once she finished. A few seconds later, while Lucario was looking at some of the trees, she saw something that caught her eye. On one of the trees, it looked like there was a big and dark patch of leaves on it. As Lucario made her way to it, she noticed that the patch also had some mud and dirt on it, which made her very suspicious.

"What is that?" Lucario asked Lopunny, pointing to the dark spot.

"I don't know" she responded, squinting her eyes at the tree. "Kinda looks like a hamlet."

Lucario moved closer to get a better view, Lopunny following her. Once Lucario got close enough, she saw that the patch was, in fact, a hamlet.

"You're right. But what's it doing here?"

"Maybe Grovyle made it. She likes nature and trees, so she probably made this so that she can sleep outside or something."

Lucario shrugged as she continued to move towards the tree. Once she was standing in front of it, she noticed that some of the bark had letters carved it. While most of it was crossed out, she was able to read the last three words, "do not disturb."

"I highly doubt it was Grovyle" Lucario stated. "Just look at the bark. Someone like her wouldn't do something like that."

After observing the bark, Lopunny nodded. "So… who does this belong to?"

"I don't know, but we should head back to camp. We don't want our team to be suspicious of us." With that, both girls ran back to camp.

0000

Machoke was in the middle of the forest, doing push ups.

"Four ninety eight…four ninety nine… five hundred." Machoke stated as he sat up, wiping the sweat off his face. "A new record!"

 **0000**

 **"In order for me to win, I'll have to be at top shape" Machoke said as he flexed his muscles. "I don't want to be outclassed. If I do, my team may vote me off. So I'm trying to stay fit by exercising every day so that I can avoid that possibility, along with the fact that it'll give me an advantage later on in the game."**

 **0000**

Meanwhile, Gliscor was flying around the island, also trying to find the idol. However, just like Lucario and Lopunny, he couldn't find it, despite having the advantage of flight.

 **0000**

" **I'm honestly surprised on how well this item is hidden" Gliscor said as he scratched his head. "I mean, even while flying, I still can't find that darn thing. It's pretty sad since I've flown through sandstorms while trying to look for smaller, less noticeable items back at home, yet I can't find a wooden statue when the sky is clear…"**

 **0000**

After a while, Gliscor gave up and decided to head back to camp. On the way back, he saw Grovyle and Braixen arguing over something. Having nothing else to do, he flew towards them, enabling him to hear their conversation.

"C'mon, I don't see why I can't look for the idol" Braixen said, crossing her arms.

"I'm not saying you can't look for it" Grovyle answered, a hint of annoyance in her voice. "I'm saying that you can't look for it the way you want to."

"But it's so much faster than walking around this crappy forest."

"You are NOT burning down trees to look for it."

"I don't see why I can't" Grovyle was about to respond until Gliscor cut in.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I overheard your conversation while doing my morning fly around the island" Gliscor lied, trying to hide the fact that he was eavesdropping. "Anyways, I have to agree on Grovyle, you shouldn't burn down the trees. You'll cause a forest fire, which could spread around the island, possibly killing or injuring a few of the others here."

"Haven't thought about that" Braixen stated. "Thanks for warning me ahead of time dude."

Grovyle just face palmed as hard as she could.

 **0000**

 **"That girl really needs to learn to rethink almost everything she does" Grovyle stated with a pissed off attitude. "Just yesterday I saw her about to burn the bathroom stalls trying to look for the idol. I'm not sure what her creepy obsession is with burning things, but that will be her downfall."**

 **0000**

Audino hummed a little tune under her breath as she walked around the campsite. Unlike the others, she wasn't looking for the idol, but for someone to hang out with. After a few seconds of searching, she found Eevee, who was carefully stepping out of her team's cabin.

"Hi Eevee" Audino gently greeted. Despite this, Eevee let out a small yelp, before turning to Audino.

"O-oh. H-hey A-audino" Eevee shyly responded.

"Are you ok?" Audino asked, noticing that Eevee seemed a bit startled.

"Y-yea. I-im fine" Eevee responded, slightly more confident.

"That's a relief. For a second I thought I startled you" Audino stated, a mixture of worry and kindness in her voice. "Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to hang out. We can check out the forest or go to the beach or do do something else."

Eevee thought to herself for a second before responding, "s-sure. That sounds nice"

 **0000**

 **"I'm really worried about Eevee." Audino stated. "Everything someone talks to her she seems a bit timid, which could make her a huge target. I wonder why that is…"**

 **0000**

By the time Lopunny and Lucario arrived at camp, most of the other competitors had gathered at the cafeteria. The two went up to Hariyama, got breakfast, and sat down with their team.

"Do any of you guys know what today's challenge is?" Gliscor asked as he poked at his "food."

"I don't know" Charizard said as he shrugged. "But whatever it is, We need to be focused."

"Hopefully it's something simple like the awakeathon" Whimsicott responded, stretching. "Man I'm tired."

"...Why? You were one of the first to fall asleep." Zorua barked.

"Hey! It ain't my fault that my hairs' so fluffy."

"Hey guys... I don't think it's a good idea to be arguing." Haxorus stated as he scratched his arm. "After all, aren't we supposed to be a team?"

"Haxorus is right. Cease this argument at once." Charizard demanded. Whimsicott and Zorua looked away from each other.

 **0000**

 **"Man, Zorua complains too much" Whimsicott stated as she floated in the confessional, trying her best to avoid touching the walls. "That's all she's done since she's arrived."**

 **0000**

Similar to the Sevipers, the Zangoose were discussing about what might the next challenge be, though they were missing a couple of members.

"Honestly, I hope it isn't anything too hard" Plusle stated. "Believe it or not, I kinda found last challenge to be a bit difficult."

"I'm pretty sure this challenge is going to be harder…" Minccino added. "In this type of show, the challenges are going to get harder and harder as time goes by."

"No matter. With my amazing skills, I'll easily dominate whatever challenges Victini throws at us." Pidgey boasted, giving the air a quick slash.

"Psh, I highly doubt that" Braixen said, crossing her arms. "Didn't Charizard swat you like like a fly in the first challenge?"

"Yeah…but I wasn't using my true power!" Pidgey squawked. "If I did, this island would've collapsed by now."

"Highly doubt it.."

 **0000**

 **"These guys truly don't understand what 'ultimate swordsman' means" Pidgey angrily stated. "Not only do I have the power of all the universe's swords combined, but I'm also one hundred percent Demigod. They won't be laughing once I unleash the power of Escavalier." He then proceeds to slash at the wall, stubbing his wing in the process. For the next ten minutes, he cries in pain until the camera cuts.**

 **0000**

"Hi everyone! Ready for today's challenge?" Victini asked, ecstatic while the rest of the campers piled in. However, only Machoke shared his excitement as everyone else groaned.

"Good, now if you would be so kindly as to follow me, I'll inform you about what this challenge is going to be about." With that, Victini leads the campers into the forest. While walking, some of the Pokemon took this time to talk to others.

"So…what do you think this challenge is going to be about?" Lopunny asked Gallade. However, she received no answer from the bladed Pokemon as he stared straight ahead.

"Uh…not to sound rude, but can you even talk?" Gallade nodded his head slowly, hoping that she would leave him alone. Unfortunately for him, that didn't happen.

"So if you can talk, then why don't you? It's going to be hard to communicate with your team if you refuse to speak with them." Gallade gave her a shrug as he continued walking.

 **0000**

 **"Ok…so he can talk, but refuses to. That makes absolutely no sense" Lopunny explained as she waved her arms around. "Did something happen to him that made him stop talking or does he really hate socializing?"**

 **0000**

 **Gallade repeatedly banged his head on the confessional in frustration before letting out a deep sigh.**

 **0000**

As Lopunny kept trying to make conversation with Gallade, Lucario caught up to them and pulled Lopunny back.

"Hey! I was in the middle of something" Lopunny stated as she pouted.

"If you couldn't notice, he clearly didn't want to talk to you. And what happened to not talking to the other team?" Lucario stated after letting out a deep sigh. Lopunny blushed in embarrassment.

0000

Meanwhile, Audino and Eevee were talking to each other as they walked.

"So…what do you think this challenge is going to be?" Audino asked. Eevee just shrugged.

"H-hopefully nothing t-to painful" Eevee stated as she walked.

"I agree"

 **0000**

 **"Audino seems nice" Eevee quietly stated as she tried to sit on the confessional. However, she missed the toilet, falling down instead, letting out a small scream.**

 **0000**

"So I was, like BAM! And he was like SQUEAL! And then I slashed him in the face with Falcon…like SLASH!" Pidgey stated as he told Umbreon a story on how he 'supposedly' took out an entire gang. However, the moon Pokemon was paying almost no attention to the talking bird, choosing to stare at some trees instead. After a few seconds of his non stop rambling, Umbreon tried to shut him up.

"Um…I may not be a game geek like you, but I'm pretty sure the sword you're talking about doesn't exist."

"Are you kidding me! Of course it does. How else would I be able to buy it on eBay for only one thousand poke."

"It could be fake…" Umbreon stated, hoping that would make him shut up. She really wanted to focus on thinking about strategies for the game, but he wasn't letting her.

"Oh hell no! That blade was certainly not fake! How else was I able to cut off my brother's arm" Umbreon just stood silent as she looked around at her team. However, she did notice that one member of her team was missing.

"Where's Shuckle?" Umbreon muttered under her breath.

"Don't know" Pidgey said, surprisingly able to hear her. "Anyways, where was I? Oh yeah, so I was like…"

 **0000**

 **"That… was clearly the most uncomfortable moment of my life…" Umbreon stated as she calmly looked at the camera.**

 **0000**

"Lousy team….ignores you for two days straight….shoots you out of a cannon...doesn't even look for you when you fall off a cliff into a river." muttered Shuckle to himself, as he came across a cave. "Well, maybe I can take a rest here!"

He crawled into the cave slowly. At first everything was silent.

And then Shuckle desperately hopped aboard his wagon, rolling the wheels desperately with his yellow limbs. An Ursaring followed, roaring as it chased him.

Shuckle shrieked as the Ursaring picked up the wagon, throwing him back into the river. As he floated downstream, Shuckle sighed.

 **0000**

 **"God damn kid interrupting my nap…" the Ursaring muttered as he sat down.**

 **0000**

After about five minutes of walking, Victini and the rest of the campers arrived at a small stadium. There was nothing special about the stadium, other than the fact that there were two rows of wooden benches on each side and a giant Victini face in the middle.

"WELCOME EVERYONE TO THE VICTINI STADIUM!" Victini shouted as loud as he could, causing most of the other Pokemon to wince.

"Victini stadium" Ninjask deadpans. "That probably the most creative thing I've heard of since my arrival" he sarcastically stated as he rolled his eyes.

"Shut up Ninjask." Victini muttered, before continuing. "This is a challenge we like to call….SWORDS OR FISTS!"

"Aha!" Pidgey crowed to Umbreon and Electivire. "I'll show off my true power and defeat all of our opponents!"

Umbreon and Electivire rolled their eyes, while Eevee made a "eep" sort of sound, hiding behind Audino.

Audino sighed. "You need some confidence, Eevee. Maybe this challenge will help you."

Eevee shivered. "I don't like pointy objects….OR fists….."

"Well too bad! That's what this first challenge is about!" Victini yelled gleefully. "There will be seventeen rounds, so everyone but one pokemon on the Zany Zangoose has to sit out. In these seventeen rounds, one has to defeat and pin down their opponent on the arena. You can either use your own physical body to do so, or one of these babies!"

He gestured to a group of melee weapons including swords, maces, hammers and even a chainsaw.

"Uh…." Frogadier rubbed his head. "Are these safe?"

"Nope!" said Victini. "Oh and if you use fists, NO MOVES allowed! Or abilities, but if Ampharos accidentally shocks someone, we'll let it slide."

"Whoohoo!" Ampharos cheered. The other Pokemon gave him an annoyed look.

"And absolutely no special abilities like floating!"

Misdreavus, Charizard and Pidgey all started complaining. Victini shushed them.

"Since that's it, I think we're ready to get this challenge underway!"

"Hold on a minute….Victini?" Bidoof asked, waving a paw.

"What is it….."

"We don' know where Shuckle is. He's been gone the past two days!"

Zorua stifled a snicker. Victini simply shrugged his shoulders. "Then he can be the Pokemon who sits out. He's not really that helpful."

"True enough." Said Grovyle, shrugging.

"All right, then let round one begin! Ninjask versus….Whimsicott! Let's go!"

Ninjask flew to the arena, but was forced to drop to the ground. Whimsicott stepped up, looking slightly apprehensive.

"Since the Seviper's won the last challenge, we'll give Whimsicott the choice. Fists or Swords!"

"Are you kidding me!?" Asked Ninjask. "You are making this as biased against me as possible. I can't fly AND she makes the decision!" 

Victini giggled evilly. "Well you shouldn't have mocked the host of the show. Do you regret it?" 

"Not really."

Whimsicott shrugged. "Fists I guess."

"ALRIGHT! NOW LET THE FISTS OR SWORDS CONTEST, BEGIN! ROUND 1, START!"

Whimsicott gave Ninjask a cold smile. Ninjask sighed. "I'm screwed."

Ninjask used his claws to scuttle forwards, but Whimsicott charged forward, slamming into Ninjask hard, knocking him over. He gulped and tried to roll to his feet, but Whimsicott had already pinned him down.

"AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!" Victini laughed. "That was less than eight seconds!"

Ninjask grumbled to himself about biased fights, flying away. Whimsicott cheered.

 **000**

 **Whimsicott smiles at the confessional. "Sometimes I feel like I haven't done much, and I'm not too memorable. But now they HAVE to notice my epic victory.**

 **0000**

 **Ampharos' eyes widened. "There is a WHIMSICOTT on our team? Since when?"**

 **0000**

"Next fight... Slowpoke and Eevee!" Victini shouted as the two called Pokemon slowly made their way towards the stadium. Audino gave Eevee a friendly and encouraging squeeze, and Electivire practically threw Slowpoke.

"So Eevee, since Whimsicott won last time, you get to pick whether you use swords or fists."

Eevee thought about it for a bit, then responded quietly, "fists."

"Ok…begin!" As soon as Victini said that, Slowpoke fell over, going into a deep slumber. Eevee made her way to the sleeping Pokemon, lightly poking him. Not knowing what to do next, she placed a small paw on him.

"And Eevee wins this match…" Victini said with a hint of confusion in his voice. Audino cheered while Electivire slapped himself in the face.

 **0000**

" **I….I won?" Asked Eevee. "I-I WON! WHOOHOO! Maybe now I'll be more confident!"**

" **Oi! little fox, I need to use the loo!" Tepig's voice was heard from outside. Eevee made a meeping noise and covered her face with her paws.**

 **0000**

 **"You know it's bad when you get beat by someone who's afraid of their own shadow" Electivire said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "I guess it's up to me to earn us the point that pink blob cost us."**

 **0000**

 **Slowpoke yawned in the confessional. "Wow….I did...better than I thought."**

 **0000**

"The next round will be….Electivire versus Carbink!"

Carbink eyes bugged out. "WHAT?"

Electivire grinned, flipping himself onto the arena. "This'll be FUN."

Carbink timidly made his way on his side. "Uh...heh heh. Go easy on me, okay?"

"Heh."

"So Carbink….which will you choose?"

Carbink sighed. "I have no limbs...and I can't float, does it really matter? I can't hold a sword so….fists?"

"Your funeral, man."

Carbink sighed.

"LET ROUND THREE BEGIN!"

Before Carbink could react, Electivire sprinted towards him and punted him out of the arena and into the stands.

"Ow…"

"And unsurprisingly, Electivire wins."

Victini sighed. "These fights were boring so far. Hopefully this next one will spice things up a bit. Next off is Lucario vs Scrafty."

"I'll take swords" Scrafty stated before Victini could ask. "Lucario has larger arms, so I'll be at a disadvantage if I pick fists."

"Ok… which type of weapon do you two want?" Victini asked.

"Easy… gotta machete?" Scrafty asked. Victini nodded before tossing Scrafty a giant, thirteen inch knife. However, it was blunt.

"I'll just have a short sword" Lucario stated. Victini tossed her one, which was also blunt.

"And…begin!" Victini shouted as both fighters raised their weapons. However, unlike the previous fighters, they didn't charge into battle, instead, they both watched each other, waiting for one to move. This went on for a few seconds until Scrafty charged at Lucario, holding his knife with two hands instead of one.

Lucario quickly dodged as Scrafty tried to slice her, and attempted to do the same, but her attack was blocked by Scrafty's knife.

The battle went on like this for a few minutes, until Scrafty tried to trip Lucario with his knife. However, she was able to land on her feet and blocked his knife with her sword, causing Scrafty to loosen his grip on his knife.

Seeing this opening, Lucario slapped the knife out of the hoodlum Pokemon's hand, then tripping him as he attempted to get it back. Scrafty tried to get up, but Lucario pointed the sword at his face, signaling that the fight was over.

"And the winner is…Lucario!" Victini announced as the Sevipers cheered.

 **0000**

 **"Girl knows how to fight" Scrafty stated as he lit a cigarette. "But next time, I won't be so chivalrous."**

 **0000**

"The next round is….Bidoof vs Bulbasaur!"

Bidoof gingerly hopped on the platform, while Bulbasaur followed, biting his lip.

"What'll it be Bulbasaur?"

"Fists." Said Bulbasaur determined.

"Then let round four begin!"

Bulbasaur immediately casted out two vines. Parasect shouted in indignation. "That's cheating! Vine whip isn't allowed!'

Victini frowned thoughtfully. "Technically, they are a part of his body...just don't use any moves with them Bulbasaur!"

"Got it." Bulbasaur nodded, determined. He swung both vines down, aiming for Bidoof. However, Bidoof managed to roll from side to side, avoiding the strikes."

"Dang…." Infernape said, surprised. "They aren't bad!"

Finally, Bidoof managed to bite down on one of the vines, causing Bulbasaur to flinch in pain, he cast both vines, dragging Bidoof forward, but the small gopher like Pokemon managed to use the momentum to his advantage, slamming his head into Bulbasaur's.

Bulbasaur moaned in pain. Bidoof happily putting a foot on his stomach.

"And Bidoof wins round four!" The Zangoose's, while surprised, cheered heartily.

 **000**

 **Bidoof smiles. "Back in m' home, me n' my family are always rasslin'. I got pretty good at it after a while."**

 **0000**

"Next fight… Munchlax versus Audino." Victini stated before the two Pokemon walked on stage.

"Since Bidoof won last time, what'll it be Munchlax? Swords or fists?"

"Well…since I've never used a weapon before, I guess fists?"

"Ok…and begin!" As he said that, both normal type Pokemon ran forwards and slammed into each other. Both, not really knowing how to fight, randomly threw fists at one another, most shots missing. After a few minutes of this, Munchlax had an idea. As Audino attempted to slap him, Munchlax caught it and brought her closer to him, delivering a Powerful headbutt to her head, knocking her unconscious.

"And Munchlax wins round whatever this is" Victini stated, forgetting how many rounds had passed.

"Classy," Ninjask stated.

 **0000**

 **"I think I went a little too overboard…" Munchlax stated, guilt written all over his face. "I'll apologize once this challenge is over."**

 **0000**

"The next round is Swampert vs Machoke!"

Machoke grinned. "Finally! I've been waiting to have a fist fight with this guy."

"I choose swords…" Swampert said as he picked up a bo staff in his hands, twirling it in his hands with great skill. Machoke grumbled, picking up a large hammer.

"Round….uh" Victini muttered counting on his fingers. 

"It's five!" Ninjask shouted to him.

"Shut up Ninjask! Round...five just begin!"

Machoke sprinted forward, swinging the hammer over his head and downwards. Swampert, however managed to aim his bo staff perfectly, driving it into the side of the hammer, throwing Machoke off balance. Swampert tripped him with the bo staff, and then pointed it at his head.

"It was a good fight." He helped him up.

"And round five goes to Swampert!"

 **0000**

 **"Damn it..." Machoke stated as he rubbed his knee. "Next time we fight, I will win."**

 **0000**

"Next round, Minccino versus Haxorus." Upon hearing this,

Minccino let out a giant gulp.

 **0000**

 **"He's expecting me to fight THAT!" Minccino said as she breathed heavily.**

 **0000**

 **"Now I can get revenge for Carbink" Haxorus stated as he looked at the camera. "I hope I don't hurt Minccino too much."**

 **0000**

The two fighters made their way to the stadium, Minccino shaking all the way.

"Haxorus, swords or fists?"

"Fists please" Haxorus responded before looking at Minccino. "Uh…no hard feelings, but I need to win this."

"And begin!"

"FOR CARBINK!" Haxorus shouted as he ran up to Minccino before she could do anything and whacked her with his tail, sending her flying through the arena.

"Oops. I guess I kinda forgot how strong I am" Haxorus said bashfully as most of the other Pokemon watched in astonishment.

"Unsurprisingly, Haxorus wins."

 **0000**

 **"Why did I sign up for this…" Minccino stated as she rubbed her tail. Dirt, leaves, and bruises were all around her body.**

 **0000**

 **"Man, Haxorus is a good guy" Carbink stated, a tinge of guilt in his voice. "I mean, not everyone tries to avenge a friend they made in just a week. It makes me feel bad about what I'm going to do next, but unfortunately, this is how you play the game. And I NEED that money."**

 **0000**

"Next battle, Grovyle and Frogadier." Victini said as both Pokemon walked onto the stadium, flashing each other determined looks.

"Grovyle, swords or fists?"

"I'll go with swords, pass me a bamboo stick" Grovyle stated. Victini nodded and tossed he a decent looking stick.

"I guess I'll take a metal staff" Frogadier stated, Victini tossing him one a few seconds after.

"And…begin!" Victini said as both Pokemon ran towards each other. Once close, both Pokemon rose their sticks and smashed it into their opponent's.

Grovyle, using her speed to her advantage, unleashed a fury of attacks, all of which were blocked by Frogadier, though with some difficulty. Using his stick, he attempted to jab Grovyle multiple times, all of them easily dodged by the grass type Pokemon. However, right after the last jab, Frogadier slammed his staff into hers, causing it not only to break, but for Grovyle to fall down because of the amount of force used. He pointed his staff at her, preventing her from getting up.

"And Frogadier scores for the Sevipers."

 **0000**

 **"Man he's good" Grovyle stated as she dusted herself. "Hopefully, my team isn't mad at me for loosing."**

 **0000**

"The next round will be….Braixen versus Gliscor!"

Braixen grumbled. She wouldn't be able to use fire attacks. Gliscor grinned wildly.

"Fists or swords, Gliscor!"

"Just plain fists is fine with me!"

"Then let the next round begin!"

Braixen cocked her head. "Why are _you_ so excited. You know you can't glide, right?"

"I know, believe me."

Braixen shrugged, and then sprinted forward at a fast speed, aiming a punch that Gliscor avoided. She growled, aiming a kick, but Gliscor ducked under it easily.

The two spun around as they battled, Gliscor having not thrown a single attack.

"Grr, fight me like a man!" Braixen shouted, as she aimed another kick. Her fists caught Gliscor's claws, and the two grappled for control. But Braixen didn't anticipate Gliscor's powerful stinger, which managed to grab her. With a flip, he threw her backwards, slamming her into a wall. Before she could rise up to her feet, he squeezed his stinger around her neck.

"You're done."

 **0000**

 **Braixen huffed, folding her arms. "I'm not a close fighter, don't judge me."  
**

 **0000**

 **Gliscor grinned. "Want to know how I do it? Its this pouch. It's called a bright powder, and it allows me to avoid attacks. With this baby on my side, I can never lose."**

 **0000**

Shuckle sighed merrily as he floated on his wagon. Surprisingly, he had found the trip relaxing and enjoyable. He was even able to get some sleep in.

"Ahh, maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. It's better than the beds anyway. Wait a minute-what's that rushing noise!"

He stared ahead in shock. It was a waterfall! 

"No no no no no no no!"

Shuckle screamed as he tried to use his bucket as an oar to scoop up water and swim away. But alas, it was too late. Shuckle, the wagon, and the bucket all fell down the waterfall, into the murky depths below….

0000

"Plusle and Zorua, you're next" Victini said. Both Pokemon made their way to the arena with fighting spirit.

"Plusle, swords or fists?" Victini asked.

"Well, I'm better off using my fists. I don't think using a sword would make much of a difference" Plusle shrugged.

"Ok…and begin!" As he said this, both Pokemon ran up to each other and slammed into one another, both staggering back after impact. However, Zorua was able to recover first, charging at the electric rabbit Pokemon. Recovering fast enough to notice this, Plusle side stepped as Zorua attempted to tackle her, and kicked her square in the ribs. Surprisingly, Zorua was able to get right back up, but not before receiving a powerful tackle to the back, which knocked Zorua right back down. She tried to get up, but due to the injuries received, couldn't.

"And Plusle wins this round!"

 **0000**

 **"I'll get her for this!" Zorua shouted at the camera, a snarl present upon her face.**

 **0000**

 **"Four years of training with my older brother really paid off" Plusle said as she smiled at the camera.**

 **0000**

"Next round is….Sableye vs….Misdreavus. This'll be weird."

"I'll pick this beautiful emerald blade as my weapon," Sableye chattered. Misdreavus sighed. "Um….I guess I pick…..this rubber chicken?" She held it in her mouth.

"What!? Misdreavus are you crazy!?" Charizard yelled, spurting out some fire from his mouth.

She winked. "Don't worry, I got this."

Victini sighed. "Remember, you can't float!"

She nodded, determined.

"Then let the next round begin!"

Sableye cackled as he leapt across the arena, swinging his sword down. Misdreavus swung her head back, knocking it aside with her rubber chicken. She then swung it down, whacking him. Sableye gave her a withering look and sliced it in half with her sword.

"Nya ha! Surrender!"

Misdreavus gave him a seductive wink. "Whatever you say."

And then she tackled him, pressing her mouth to his. He flailed backwards in shock, before simply wrapping his arms around her.

Misdreavus sighed. "Sorry hon."

She gave the still distracted Sableye a vicious headbutt, knocking him out of the ring. The competitors watched in shock as Misdreavus bounded out of the arena to help a blushing Sableye to his feet.

"And Misdreavus wins!" Victini shouted.

Ninjask sighed, handing Tepig twenty dollars.

"Ah, ah ah. That's thirty, mate. I said it would be during a challenge."

Ninjask sighed. "Whatever."

 **0000**

" **Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Misdreavus squealed happily. blushing.. "It worked!**

 **0000**

" **Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Lopunny squealed happily. "They are SO cute!"**

 **0000**

 **Tepig rolled his eyes. "C'mon, it was bloody obvious!"**

 **0000**

 **Sableye stumbled around, dazed. "Wow."**

 **0000**

 **"Well... That happened..." Machoke stated, trying to process what happened. "I honestly thought that they hated each other. Either way, shortest love story ever."**

 **0000**

" **I get that everyone's happy for them and all, but now we lost the point!" Minccino threw up her hands.**

 **0000**

"After…that, now we get to see Charizard and Umbreon duke it out." Victini stated. Both Pokemon made their way to the field, each bearing a blank expression.

"Charizard, swords or fists?"

"Fists" Charizard responded.

 **0000**

 **"Even if I pick swords I'm still at a disadvantage" Charizard explained. "Most of my speed comes from my wings. Do to the fact that I can't fly this match, I'll be much slower. Let's just hope that Umbreon doesn't hit too hard."**

 **0000**

"And…begin!" With that, Charizard ran towards Umbreon as fast as he could while preparing a punch. However, Due to Charizard's small arm length and crippled speed, Umbreon was easily able to only avoid the attack, but was able to strike him in the back using her two hind legs.

Charizard growled, surprised at how powerful that blow was. Using his reaction to her advantage, Umbreon ran up to him and head butted his right leg, bringing Charizard down. Unfortunately for him, the pain was so strong that he couldn't get back up.

"And Umbreon surprisingly dominates this match."

The competitors muttered to themselves as Umbreon calmly walked away from the arena.

 **0000**

 **"If it wasn't for the fact that I was crippled, I would've won that fight" Charizard growled as he rubbed his knee.**

 **0000**

 **"That was a dirty trick Umbreon did," Scrafty stated. "It's one I'm familiar with. Hit someone in an area that'll stun them, then strike their support system. In this case, Charizard's leg.**

 **0000**

"Next round is Parasect vs Ampharos!"

Parasect's eyes gleamed. Now he could show the klutz how superior order and protocol were.

"Swords or fists, Parasect?"

"Fists."

Parasect clicked his pincers, scuttling forwards. He aimed several vicious strikes that Ampharos avoided. Ampharos swung his tail, whacking Parasect's face. Parasect growled, pinching down hard on it.

Ampharos gasped in pain, struggling to pull him off. He finally managed to throw him, rubbing his injured tail as Parasect rose to his feet. The bug type lunged, but Ampharos jumped in the air, landing on Parasect's mushroom.

Parasect couldn't move his head, and his pincers did not have enough reach to pinch Ampharos, who repeatedly hit hit him over and over until….

Parasect groaned, falling unconscious. Ampharos rolled off of him, grinning.

"And Ampharos scores a point!"

 **0000**

 **Parasect hissed in the confessional. "This. Means. War."**

 **0000**

"Anyways, next round is Lopunny versus Gallade," Victini shouted. Both Pokemon made their way to the stadium. Lopunny looked at her opponent with steady eyes while Gallade showed no expression.

"Lopunny, swords or fists?"

"The answer's pretty obvious. I'll take fists"

 **0000**

 **"Why did I choose fists?" Lopunny asked the camera. "It's simple, Gallade are master swordsmen so this challenge would be second nature to him if it were a sword fight. Now if it was just an old fashioned fist fight, then I'll have a better chance at beating him. Hopefully he's not as tough as he looks."**

 **0000**

 **"Finally, I can see what this guy can do" Electivire stated. "To be honest, I've always had my eye in him. He's been acting very suspicious ever since he joined the team. He doesn't even sleep in the team cabin!"**

 **0000**

 **"Time to see what Gallade is really about" Charizard said as he smirked at the camera.**

 **0000**

"And…begi-" Victini said, until he was cut off by Ninjask.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. There is something really wrong with this matchup."

"What…is it Ninjask?" Victini asked, clearly annoyed.

"Gallade's arms. Aren't they considered swords or weapons?"

"Gotta agree with him," Scrafty stated. "Despite being on his team, it wouldn't be fair if he had an advantage."

"Fine. Then what do you suppose I should do?" Victini groaned as he rolled his eyes.

"…cripple me," everyone turned their heads to the source of the voice, Gallade. "If this is really a big problem, then cripple me."

"Wait! He can talk!?" Ampharos shouted.

"The answer's simple. Don't allow me to use my arms. Handcuff them together and allow me to fight by only using my head and legs." Gallade calmly said, completely ignoring Ampharos.

"But that'll give you a major disadvantage." Lopunny stated, flabbergasted. "Why would you want that?"

"To put us at equal terms. If I can't use my arms, then I don't have the advantage. You may think tying my arms would hinder me, but, I've fought through worse situations. This handicap is simply nothing." Everyone just looked at him, unsure of how to react to this. Was he really going through with this?

"Okay…I guess I'll do it" Victini stated as he flew over to his pile of weapons, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. He then placed the handcuffs on Gallade's arms, having him put his hands behind his back.

"Now we can begin" Victini said as he flew away from the battlefield. Lopunny wasted no time and dashed straight for Gallade. As she ran towards him, she was surprised to see that he hasn't moved. Once close enough, she jumped and tried to land a flying kick.

However, Gallade was more than prepared for this as he simply sidestepped, avoiding the attack. Once back on the ground, she ran back towards him and unleashed a barrage of extremely fast punches and kicks. To much of everyone's surprise, Gallade was easily able to avoid every single one thrown at him. Growling in frustration, she kept doing the same thing over and over again, but with the same outcome. Gallade just simply dodged them all. They kept this up for a few minutes, with Lopunny growing more and more tired per punch, yet Gallade seemed to have not even broken a sweat.

As this kept on happening, it took Lopunny to realize what was going on, he was playing with her. She then charged forward, trying to tackle him. As she was doing this, Gallade couldn't help but smirk. This is exactly what he wanted. As she ran towards him, he braced himself. Once she jumped at him, he sidestepped, avoiding the attack, and threw a somewhat half hearted kick at her head, surprisingly knocking her out. Gallade then proceeded to shatter his handcuffs, signaling the end of the fight.

"And Gallade scores a point for the Zangoose."

 **0000**

 **"Gr…he's a lot stronger than he looks" Lopunny stated as she rubbed her head, while thinking to herself. "I should really train with him..."**

 **0000**

 **"Whoa" Machoke stated as he gave the camera a surprised look. "Not only was the guy handcuffed, but he wasn't even trying, yet he still beat Lopunny. And he broke his handcuffs... just, wow."**

 **0000**

 **"Damn... Silent guy's got some moves" Electivire stated, eyes wide opened. "I REALLY want to fight this guy."**

 **0000**

 **Charizard glared at the camera. "If he's really the guy I'm looking for, then I have to be careful when confronting him."**

 **0000**

 **Gallade sat in the confessional, arms crossed, taking a deep breath before speaking. "It seems like now I have to talk, which is a shame. While I could just stay silent, it'll make my team more suspicious of me than they already are. There are two reasons why I don't talk. One, I'm not a fan of only reason why I'm here is for the money.**

 **The second reason I didn't talk is because I don't want to get close to anyone. I already know what'll happen if that happens, so to prevent that, I tried to disconnect myself from the others. Unfortunately, now I have no choice so this may be a bit more difficult."**

 **0000**

"Next off, Infernape and Tepig" Victini said. Infernape ran to the stadium as Tepig casually walked there instead.

"Tepig, swords or fists?"

 ****Parasect called to him. "Infernape's punches are really strong! Go with swords!"

Tepig nodded. "Fair dinkum. Fists it is."

"Damn it Tepig!"

Infernape twitched excitedly. "Oh this is gonna be fun."

"And begin." Just like Lopunny, Infernape wasted no time in running towards Tepig. Upon seeing this, Tepig readied himself, preparing to dodge. When Infernape got close enough, he let loose a bunch of lightning fast punches. Tepig was able to avoid a few, until one struck him right in the gut, sending him towards the edge of the arena. Infernape once again ran towards him, hoping to finish this off with one more punch, but Tepig sprung over him, landing behind him. Infernape tried to hit him with his tail, but Tepig managed to grab onto it by biting it, causing the fire monkey to holler in pain. Infernape roared, kicking the fire pig with his feet and knocking him down.

Tepig groaned, slowly rising back up. He attempted to roll to the side, but Infernape anticipated it, kicking him in the stomach. He rolled backwards, but Infernape stepped on his tail. He grabbed Teig around the neck, preparing a punch. "Sorry for the roughhousing, but this is how I play."

Tepig gave him a wink. "This is how I play." He then spat directly into Infernape's eye. Infernape yelled, grabbing his eye and releasing Tepig, who cracked his neck.

"I'm from the outback. If I can handle bein' attacked by a pack of Krookodile every tuesday, I can handle a hyperactive monkey."

Infernape roared, throwing a punch, but Tepig managed to catch it with one of his front legs. He grinned. "Good on ya, mate." He responded with a vicious right hook that knocked Infernape off his feet.

"And Tepig wins a point!" 

**0000**

 **Minccino folded her arms. "Show off."**

 **0000**

 **Tepig had a black eye and a ton of bruises. "Sometimes you gotta lose to win."**

 **0000**

Victini sighed. "Alright, just one more match. Pidgey vs Donphan!"

The two quickly got into position, Pidgey boasting all the way.

"So Pidgey, what'll it be? Swords or fists….in case we didn't know."

"Swords of course! Feel the wrath of the Sword of Omens!" He said, lifting up a sword.

Donphan shrugged. "Very well rapscallion. Then it shall be a duel." He lifted up a twin sword in his trunk." 

"Let the final round BEGIN!"

"YAAAAA!" Pidgey screamed as he aimed a uncoordinated swing at Donphan, who side stepped it easily. He aimed another strike, but Donphan deflected it without much trouble.

Pidgey swung his sword in an arch that missed terribly and threw himself off balance, and Donphan slammed into him, knocking him down.

Pidgey rose slowly. "This opponent...he is like no one I ever faced. I must use my ultimate attack!"

"You suck!" Shouted Zorua.

"Shut up. Sword of omens, GIVE ME POWER BEYOND POW-" his words were cut off as Donphan slammed into him, knocking him out.

"bleh."

"And Donphan wins! And with a higher score, THE SEVIPER'S WIN!" The Seviper's all cheered as one. Victini looked at the dejected Zangoose team. "You guys better think of a guy to vote!"

0000

Munchlax sighed. He can't believe they lost, after all the difficult battles.

"HEY!"

Munchlax whirled around and gasped. "Shuckle?"

"Yeah, its me." Shuckle groaned. "I got lost in the river some time after the last challenge. What happened? And why didn't anyone look for me?"

"We just lost a challenge, and now have to vote someone off. And we couldn't find you. But that was two days ago, what took you so long?"

"I'm slow, remember? Like really slow…"

"Oh yeah…"

 **0000**

 **"Now who to vote off…"Swampert thought out loud. "While Slowpoke isn't useful, nether is Pidgey. I think it's best to keep Slowpoke around since he's more bulky."**

 **0000**

 **"Meh…whether Slowpoke or Pidgey goes, it doesn't matter." Scrafty stated. "They're both dead weight."**

 **0000**

 **"That Slowpoke has got to go!" Electivire shouted. "He has done nothing useful. At least bird brain tried."**

 **0000**

 **"Though Slowpoke would be our most predictable choice, I think Pidgey should leave" Parasect said as he snapped his pinchers. "While Pidgey can fly, Slowpoke can take more abuse, which will be more helpful later on."**

 **0000**

 **"I'm pretty sure my team's not going to vote me off" Pidgey confidently stated. "After all, I'm twice as useful compared to most of my other teammates. Anyway, I'm voting Shuckle. Dude wasn't even here!"**

 **0000**

 **"Yea…I'm voting for Pidgey" Braixen stated. "If we keep him any longer, I might get a migraine."**

 **0000**

 **"Even though he still won, I'm voting Tepig," Minccino stated, a scowl on her face. "That guy annoys me to no end."**

 **0000**

 **Sableye is seen dancing around in the confessional, chanting "I've kissed her, Woo!" multiple times.**

 **0000**

 **Slowpoke yawns in the confessional.**

 **000**

Victini wagged his finger in an annoying fashion. "Twice in a row, now isn't it? A lot of you dropped the ball today, let's see who was punished for it.

"First one goes to...Swampert."

Swampert grunted, lumbering to get his poke block.

"Braixen, Gallade, Scrafty and…...Munchlax."

Munchlax high fived Braixen as the three walked up.

"Bidoof….Plusle, and lover's boy. You guys are safe as well. As much as it irks me to say it, Ninjask is safe as well."

Sableye led the other two to pick up their Pokeblocks. Victini glared at the remaining competitors.

Grovyle bit her lip. Tepig adjusted his fedora. Umbreon gave the members of her team a cool luck. Pidgey didn't look like he was paying attention, and Slowpoke yawned. Electivire clenched a fist. Shuckle shivered.

"Electivire and Grovyle, you are safe. Umbreon, you too."

Only four competitors remained.

"The four of you all have received votes tonight. Tepig and Slowpoke, it's your second time here. Slowpoke, not too helpful of a teammate are you? Tepig, you may be strong, but you are not easy to work with."

"I'm proud of that."

"Shuckle...you weren't even THERE. And Pidgey….you failed your team at the eleventh hour, and it was pretty pathetic."

"Shuckle and Tepig, you guys are safe."

As the two grinned and Tepig wheeled Shuckle's wagon to pick up a Pokeblock, Pidgey and Slowpoke glanced at each other.

"The final Poke block goes to….."

Pidgey nervously fingered his sword. Slowpoke yawned, not really paying attention to what's going on.

"...Slowpoke. Pidgey, you're out!"

"WHAT! How could you keep him over ME!"

"Well… he doesn't give us a headache" Umbreon responded. Before Pidgey could retort, Victini began speaking.

"Pack your bags Pidgey"

 **0000**

 **"They will regret voting me off!" Pidgey screamed at the camera. "Now, who do I want to win? Probably either Gallade or Donphan. They are the only two here that are at least DECENT swordsmen."**

 **0000**

Pidgey signed as he carried his suitcases onto the boat, glaring at his former teammates as the boat left the docks. He stood this way for a second before shouting at them.

"YOU WILL RULE THIS DAY YA HEAR ME! YOU WILL RULE THIS DAY!..." Most of his teammates just rolled their eyes at this.

"Anyways, now that Pidgey is gone, will the Zangoose end this losing streak? What will happen to Gallade now that he's finally decided to speak? Will Shuckle be ok? And who will hook up next? Find out next time on TOTAL… POKKEMON…ISLAND!" Victini shouted as the camera zoomed out far enough to view the two islands.

0000

Author's note 2: hey guys DT here. The reason why Pidgey got out was because we really couldn't do much with him. His main thing was being the second comic relief, first being Ninjask. However, that doesn't mean I don't like him. He was my third favorite character to write and he's one of my top ten favorites in the story. Unfortunately, his time is up.

Fun fact: The name for the island they were on in the first chapter was created using a random name generator website.


	5. Chapter 5: War never changes!

**Shuckle Master: Next Chapter is finally out! This one will be a bit difficult to write so….I hope we don't screw this up, haha!**

 **0000**

Plusle sat in front of Bidoof, Munchlax, and Slowpoke. She had a clipboard in her hand.

"Of the Zany Zangeese, we are the bottom. We are completely outclassed by others in strength and intelligence. In order to hold our own I suggest we form an alliance."

"Hear hear!" Shouted Munchlax and Bidoof as Slowpoke let out a yawn. Shuckle, however, had doubts.

"But...what if everyone finds out? An alliance might make us a target. Honestly I'm not sure if I want to deal with that responsibility. And what happens if we're the only ones left?"

"It becomes a friendly competition. But if one of us wins, we'll share the money. And don't worry! No one will find out if we meet in private!"

"All right...I'm in, but we need to be careful. A safe position can only make us more prone to mistakes."

"Kay! Oh and what about you, Slowpoke?"

Slowpoke's eyes snapped open. "H-huh? Oh….yes I'm in for the alliance…"

The other three all laughed at the sheepish pink Pokemon.

Plusle looked thoughtful for a moment. "We'll be called...Team Eviolite!"

 **0000**

 **"Woohoo! Final five, here we come!" Shouted Bidoof.**

 **0000**

0000

Braixen sighed as she dug inside a bush, trying to find the idol. Ever since it was announced, she has been using most of her free time searching for the wooden idol. It was her top priority, everything else came second.

After a few minutes of digging in the bush, she angrily shouted in the air.

 **0000**

 **"Arceus damn it!" Braixen growled as she looked at the camera. "I've been searching for that idol since before sunrise. Normally I'd burn the forest by now, but GROVYLE keeps getting in my way! I swear, first chance I get, that nature loving lizard is gone!"**

 **0000**

She stomped her foot in anger, before leaning against a tree. Suddenly something fell from in the leaves and hit her on the head. Groaning, her eyes widened when she saw what it was.

0000

"Lame ass idol….on this lame ass forest...on this lame ass Island." Electivire muttered as he stomped through a clearing. Annoyed, he glanced in a hole in one of the trees. He stopped, before looking inside.

"Helloooo! And what are you?"

0000

Scrafty smirked as he took a nice stroll around the forest. Despite this forest having nothing to special in it, there was something that sparked his curiosity. Earlier this morning, he overheard Shuckle and the other pre evolutions talking about a cave that was inhabited by an Ursaring.

Upon hearing that, Scrafty decided to pay that cave a visit, hoping to either find the idol or something interesting. After about an hour of wandering around aimlessly, he found himself looking at a decently big cave. Knowing that the Ursaring may be in there, Scrafty picked up a big rock and tossed it inside the cave.

When it fell, it made a huge 'THUD,' as he hid behind a bush. A few seconds later, the Ursaring ran out of the cage, looking extremely angry.

"Who threw that!?" The bear asked with an enraged tone. Upon hearing no answer, he immediately ran into the forest, shouting "if you won't show yourself, I'll have to find you!"

After watching the bear leave, Scrafty quickly entered the cave, where he let out a giant smirk upon seeing the inside of the cave.

0000

Parasect grumbled under his breath as he wrote stuff down. Realizing that his team lost twice in a row, he took it upon himself to make sure that they don't lose again.

 **0000**

 **"These bad boys are going to help us win from now on" Parasect said as he flashed a proud smile. "With these plans, my leadership skills and** _ **my**_ **powerful brain, nothing can stop my team from winning." He raises his pincers excitedly as he says this. Unfortunately, his grip wasn't strong enough and the papers fell into the toilet. He tried grabbing them, but he accidentally kicked the toilet's lever, flushing them. He looked at the toilet for a few seconds before shouting in anger, "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"**

 **0000**

"You're cuter."

"No you're cuter."

"No, you are!"

"No you are!"

Sableye and Misdreavus stared at each other's eyes across the table. Ampharos watched, amused.

 **0000**

 **"What? I'm bored" Ampharos shrugged. "And you gotta admit, they do make a cute couple."**

 **0000**

"So when is that cruise trip we're going on again?" Asked Sableye, excitedly.

"March 21 to the 30th honey.. Oh you always get so excited when we try something new together."

"You know me best. When we get married, I want a chocolate cake. And we should invite everyone here!"

"Oooh and those beautiful black roses!"

"Umm…haven't you guys only been together for three days? Ampharos asked, scratching his head with his stubby arms.

"Yeah. Your point is?" Asked Misdrevus.

"Well...don't you think this might be going a bit too quickly? Slow down a little."

"Oh! And when we get children we'll name one Vicky, okay?" Misdreavus asked, completely ignoring the electric type Pokemon.

Sableye chuckled. "Only if I get to name one Ruby."

Ampharos sighed. "This relationship won't end well, will it?"

"CAMPERS! MEET ME AT THE DOCK IN 15 MINUTES!"

0000

Victini grinned as the campers began to arrive. This challenge would be interesting.

"So Hariyama….who do you think will win?"

The cook folded his arms. "Hariyama thinks Gallade has chance. Young Umbreon has smarts, yes?"

"True enough. Personally, my money's on Infernape and Lucario. Gliscor too, if his brightpowder continues to work for him. Scrafty is interesting to see as well. Ah! Here come the campers!"

They arrived, Ninjask in the lead. "New challenge eh? Oh great, and the sumo is here too."

"Great observation, bug. Today's challenge will be hosted by none other than….Hariyama!"

"First you were too lazy to come up with new ideas, and now you are too lazy to do your own work?" Ninjask asked incredulously.\

"Oi! Shut up Ninjask!" Muttered Hariyama. "Challenge today is about teamwork. You must fight in war. Using paintball guns. That is all."

"Uh...yeah." Coughed Victini. "So today will like capture the flag. Zangooses, you'll be defending a fort/castle. Sevipers, you'll be attacking. The goal is to steal or defend the flag at the very top of the Zangoose tower. Both sides will use paintball guns as weapons, though you might find a few other weapons waiting for you. Everyone clear…?

Ninjask raised an insectoid arm. "Uh...where is this castle? I haven't seen one yet, and we've been here eight days."

Victini stared at him blankly for a moment, before slapping a hand to his face. "SHIT!"

0000

Three hours later, the castle was placed on top of a large hill. Frogadier sighed. The two teams had split up. While the Zangoose's were preparing their fortress, the Seviper's had only a small shack where the weapons were kept for them.

"Wow. I am glad that I'm not working for him anymore." Frogadier stated.

"Why?" Gliscor asked. "I think I'd rather work for him than compete."

"I'm just sad that we don't get the castle." Said Donphan dejectedly. "I would happily serve the outer walls and defend the queen!"

The other two gave him a confused look.

 **0000**

 **"Okay, so sometimes reality and theater get mixed up on my head." Huffed Donphan. "But that doesn't make me crazy! Alas, my honor is insulted by your vile stares!"**

 **0000**

 **Zorua huffed, folding her arms. "Psycho."**

 **0000**

Machoke dropped down a heavy crate with a grunt. Charizard stomped forward, bringing out a chalkboard.

"The Plan is simple. We rush them before they get a chance to fight back."

"Whoa whoa hold on." Said Frogadier. "Shouldn't we like...have a plan?"

"That is a plan."

"Ugh. He means a good one." Replied Lopunny, rolling her eyes.

Charizard folded his arms. "What's bad about this one?"

"Well considering the fact that they'll already be prepared for an attack, and that rushing them won't work because they'll have higher ground, this plan is pretty shitty." Muttered Zorua.

"Oh and what do you suggest?" grumbled Charizard, almost suddenly.

"What if we have our fastest guy scout them out, checking out their strategy and counter it completely!"

"...Fine, whatever." Muttered Charizard, looking put out.

0000

"So...we have our fastest guy scout them out, checking out their strategy and counter it completely?" Asked Minccino, arching a brow.

"Yes. My plan is complete perfection!" Boasted Parasect.

"Well where do the rest of us go?" Asked Plusle.

"Uh...I….that is…."

Shuckle raised a yellow appendage. "Uh...I have some ideas."

Electivire growled. "Save it pipsqueak, and let the adults come up with the plan.

"Oi. Give the turtle a chance." Scrafty called from a corner, waving his cigarette.

Shuckle coughed. "Well, I think the bigger guys like Swampert and Electivire should take to the walls, since they are the biggest targets. Smaller and quicker Pokemon in the middle so they move back and forth quickly, and the guys in the middle at the front."

The rest of his team stared at him.

"What?"

"Uh..." Muttered Parasect in a slight daze, before quickly shaking his head. "Uh...let's go team! You heard him!"

The Pokemon began to grab up guns, heading to their positions. Tepig grinned, pulling out a Sniper Rifle.

"What a beauty we have here. I'm quite the sniper if I do say so myself. I'll be headin' to the top of the tower if you don't mind."

"Okay. There is NO way that you are a sharpshooter." Groaned Minccino.

Tepig winked at her. "You'll see."

0000

"WHOA! CHECK THIS OUT!"

Munchlax and Bidoof sat in front of a heavy cannon. Shuckle stared at it in awe.

"Well I think...we use it because...we're weaker and...oh my Mewtwo that is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Electivire snarled. "Like hell you're firing that thing. This is MINE!"

Swampert caught his arm. "Relax and calm yourself. It is the best decision."

Electivire yanked away his arm and stomped away, muttering curses under his breath. Swampert sighed.

0000

High on a cliff, Haxorus and Carbink stared at the castle with a pair of binoculars.

"Dang...it's really big." exclaimed Haxorus. Carbink let out a low whistle.

"You're telling me."

Ahead of them, Infernape stealthily made his way ahead of them whistling a tune under his breath.

Suddenly he found himself face to face with Ninjask. "Uh…."

"Let me guess. Since you're the fastest, ou are trying to scout out and-"

"...And counter the other teams strategy." Finished Infernape.

"Yep. So uh….we shoot each other now..?"

"I….guess?"

"Ahh!" Shouted Ninjask, opening fire with his gun. Infernape gulped and dove into the bushes. He pulled the trigger of his own gun, but Ninjask was much too fast. He seemed to _teleport_ behind Infernape, aiming the gun.

"Moth to a flame, huh?" He smirked, leveling his gun.

And then he cursed as paint splattered his wings.

Haxorus jumped down, pointing his gun at the ground. "Got you dude."

A voice came from the loudspeaker. "AHAHAHAHA! AND NINJASK IS THE FIRST ELIMINATED!"

As Ninjask muttered as he flew away, Infernape gave Haxorus a high five.

"Thanks dude. We'd better get back to HQ."

"Uh….what?" Asked Carbink, floating down to join them. "We don't have headquarters, WE'RE the attackers."

"I know!" Said Infernape, snickering. "But I've always wanted to say that."

0000

"Damn….that didn't work out, did it?" Said Braixen, watching a downcast Ninjask fly away. Parasect sighed.

"They must have used our own move against us. We need a new plan. Shuckle, any ideas?"

Shuckle's eyes widened. "Me? You guys want my help?"

"Well...you seem to know what you're doing, and at this point, you seem like our best bet."

"Oh...well I guess we can try the Christmas battle tactic." Shuckle stated.

Scrafty shrugged. "Eh, as weird as that name sounds, I'm game."

Parasect clicked his pincers in impatience. "So...what is it? We're running out of time, you know."

Shuckle rolled his eyes. "I know, I know. So here is what we do…"

 **0000**

 **Shuckle cheered in the confessional. "Woohoo! I'm NEVER put in charge of things! I wasn't even trusted to be a hall monitor back in elementary school. This is gonna be awesome!"**

 **0000**

The Sevipers slowly made their way forward, sticking close to the trees for cover. Charizard led the way at the front, followed by Misdreavus and Infernape, who acted as a guide. Ampharos and Lucario were right behind them, raising their guns to fire at anyone who moved. Haxorus took up the rear, holding two guns, (since Carbink could not hold one.)

A beeping noise suddenly distracted them. Charizard and the others whirled around, seeing a large tank emerging from the woods. "How the hell.."

Bulbasaur popped out of the top, beaming. "Hey guys! I called my dad to say that we needed support in a paintball challenge, and he brought us this! Don't worry, I know how to drive this thing!"

He immediately drove into a tree. Charizard sighed, as the other Pokemon gaped at the huge weapon.

"This is the hill up ahead dude." The Monkey said, pointing at a highly elevated point. There was a path, with two steep hills ahead of it.

"Great." Muttered Charizard under his breath. "Gliscor and Misdreavus, check out the top of those two hills. That's a good hiding place for them."

The two began to float up, before stopping. "Sableye!" Misdreavus shouted, astonished. The dark and ghost type stood alone, without a weapon.

Ampharos grinned, raising his weapon, but Charizard put a hand on it. "Wait. This feels like a trap."

"You there sir!"Shouted Donphan. "Why does thee face us without a weapon!"

Sableye held up his hand in surrender. "Hey, guys. I'm not coming up with some cheap trick. I just wanted to see Misdreavus."

"Aww. You'll get rewarded for that, sweetie." Said Misdreavus, winking. Ampharos gagged.

"Uh….didn 't need to hear that." Charizard sighed, aiming his gun at Sableye…

"ATTACK!"

On each side of the hill, The Zany Zangoose attacked. On the right, Scrafty, Parasect, and Umbreon. On the left, Gallade, Plusle, and Minccino. They immediately opened fire with their paintball guns.

Charizard groaned as he was splattered immediately by Minccino. Lucario was hit on the arm by Parasect, and Scrafty nailed Ampharos in the head.

"ARGH! GET DOWN!" Shouted Charizard.

Infernape, Haxorus, and Donphan opened fire in retaliation. As Lopunny ran to join them, followed by a surprised Frogadier, Misdreavus floated high in the air. Holding her gun in her mouth, she tried to aim a shot.

Sableye grinned as Plusle tossed him a gun. With a smirk, he shot Misdreavus out of the air.

"Hey!" She shouted. "Don't hit your girlfriend like that!"

Sableye looked at her in shock. "But...but it's just a for a challenge! And you did the same thing during the last challenge!"

"Whatever! All you do is make excuses!"

"Well you're always bossing me around!" Sableye shot back.

"All you do is come up with excuses! Maybe if you got a JOB!"

"I have a job!"

"Being a sneak thief isn't a job! Something that will support our family!"

"If you don't think I can support a family, then maybe we should just break up!"

"Maybe we should!"

"Fine!"

"FINE!"

Mincinnio cursed as she narrowly ducked under a shot of paint. "Can we settle this AFTER we win?"

"You're not going to win!" Bulbasaur roared, aiming the tank. With a huge explosion of paint, the tank fired, splattering Sableye.

"Retreat!" Shouted Parasect, scuttling away, followed by the rest of his team.

"AND INFERNAPE, AMPHAROS, LUCARIO, MISDREAVUS, ANNNND SABLEYE ARE OUT AFTER A BRILLIANT MOVE FROM THE ZANY ZANGOOSE!"

Charizard roared. "Everyone who's still in, attack! No more shitty plans!"

0000

Parasect cackled as they arrived to the safety of the castle. "It worked! My brilliant plan-."

"Shuckle's plan." Muttered Minccino.

"Shuckle's brilliant plan worked. But uh….I approved it, so approximately fifty two percent goes to me."

"Whatever."

"Everyone, get into position! This will get rough!"

0000

The Sevipers let out a fierce roar as the reached the top of the hill, where Zangoose's were waiting for them. The two teams took cover behind walls and fired desperately.

Lopunny crouched down. "Keep up a cover fire so the rest of the team can catch up!" She shouted to Frogadier and Donphan, who both nodded.

"All right! Let's do it!" Cheered Whimsicott. The other three gave her a strange look.

"What?"

Donphan sighed. "Sorry my dear lady. You are just a bit….forgettable...at times."

Whimsicott huffed. "Whatever."

The three fired their guns rapidly, forcing Scrafty and Gallade to get behind cover. Umbreon rested her gun on the wall as she fired, Parasect was meticulously thinking of where to fire before doing so, and Braixen and Grovyle firing their guns like a team.

"You know...this would be a lot easier if-" Braixen started slyly. Grovyle huffed.

"No. You don't want to KILL them!"

Their distraction was enough for Zorua, Gliscor and Frogadier to arrive. Followed slowly by Bulbasaur and his tank, with Eevee and Audino sitting on top.

Parasect cursed. "We're struggling, their entire team is here. We need backup. Mincinnio, you go."

Mincinno nodded. "Got it!" She sprinted away.

 **0000**

" **I like Minccino." Parasect said, nodding approvingly. "She doesn't question orders, and she likes order. She's a worthy second in command."**

 **0000**

Braixen groaned as Infernape ducked under her fire. "Ugh...I can't hit ANYONE!"

Scrafty smirked at her. "Relax fox, just follow my lead." Infernape popped up, but before he could fire a shot, Scrafty had already splattered him with paint.

Braixen grinned. "Lets bring those snakes down."

Lopunny couldn't move, in fear of the wave of paintballs flying around her. "All right, this is ridiculous. We need a plan."

Whimsicott rose slowly. They hadn't noticed her yet. If she could just fire off a shot…

Splat!

Out of nowhere, A shot splattered on her face, knocking her over.

"What...hit me?"

Up on the flag tower, Tepig smirked.

"Boom. Headshot."

 **0000**

 **Mincinnio swore loudly. "How the hell can he be good at EVERYTHING! HE'S SO DAMN PERFECT HOW DO I GET RID OF HIM!"**

 **0000**

Zorua crawled on the ground next to Lopunny. "I have an idea. Stop firing, and act like you are retreating. I'll handle this."

The team ducked down, stopping fire. Braixen lowered her gun. "Huh? Did we get them all?"

"That can't be right." Umbreon muttered. Suddenly, Minccino emerged.

"Sneak attacked them!" Minccino boasted. Parasect's eyes narrowed. "But..you ran the other way…."

Gallade's eye gleamed. "That is NOT Minccino!"

Before they were able to act, Minccino fired at Umbreon, splattering her with paint. She cackled as she transformed back to her Zorua form, diving for cover. The Zangoose, before they could counterattack were suddenly ambushed by the Seviper's, who "striked" with renewed vigor.

"Retreat, retrea-ACK!" Shouted Parasect as Donphan hit him in the eye.

"It was a good duel sir knight, I will honor you in-"

"C'mon let's go!" Shouted Lopunny.

Grovyle, Braixen, Gallade and Scrafty retreated backwards, followed by the entire team of the Striking Sevipers.

0000

Electivire grumbled, folding his arms. "This sucks. I want to be on the front lines." Swampert sighed.

"Patience my friend. Patience."

"Whatever…."

 **0000**

 **Electivire growled. "That dumbass Mudfish think's he's all that. Wait 'till I get the better of him."**

 **0000**

Sableye sighed, sitting down. Plusle placed a hand on his shoulder.

Shuckle crawled over to him slowly. "What's up with him?"

'He and Misdreavus broke up, and he's heartbroken."

Sableye sighed. "Oh...the nostalgia. The memories…"

Munchlax froze. "Wait a minute...you were dating her for three days?"

Sableye held out a hand, where a microphone was tossed by Shuckle.

" _Memories light the corners of my mind…."_ He began to sing.

"Are you serious? Like honestly you have to be jok-"

" _Misty water colored memories of the way…..we were…."_

Bidoof pulled out a banjo, strumming a few sad notes.

"C'mon Bidoof, not you too!"

" _Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind…._

 _Smiles we gave to one another for the way….we were…._

 _oooooooooooh."_

He looked down dejectedly. Bidoof and Shuckle gave him a look of pity. Plusle gave him a small hug.

"3 DAYS GUYS! ARCEUS CHRIST"

0000

Scrafty groaned as he spun around, getting cover and opening fire. But the Seviper's were much more organized and ready.

Shuckle gulped. "Pull up the bridge!"

Swampert gave him a nod, slowly dragging up the bridge that led to the moat.

Donphan sniffed. "It is...beautiful."

"C'mon lover's boy, let's go!" Shouted Carbink as he and Haxorus charged.

Bubasaur's tank took the lead, Audino and Eevee firing while sitting on top. Together they managed to take down Grovyle.

"Woohoo!" Shouted Audino. "Nice one!"

Eevee smiled shyly. "I-it was, wasn't it?"

 **0000**

 **Audino sighed. "I've studied a lot of patients. Eevee has a lot of potential, all she needs is a little confidence."**

 **0000**

Mincinnio shrieked at Team Eviolite. "FIRE THE CANNON! HURRY!"

Bidoof gulped. "Alright, but shouldn't we wait T'ill-"

"FIRE IT NOW!"

"Yeah okay!" Bidoof said, flinching.

 **0000**

 **Bidoof shuddered. "Mincinno's really bossy, and she's kinda scares me."**

 **0000**

 **Minccino folded her arms. "I am NOT scary. GOT IT!"**

 **0000**

Munchlax adjusted the cannon, while Bidoof lit the match. The Cannon however, was thrown off balance, just as it fired.

The paint blasted out of it hit Donphan, but also Gallade and Minccino. Minccino shrieked, screaming as she ran around in circles.

 **0000**

 **Minccino shudders in the confessional. "Okay. So I MIGHT have a SLIGHT issue with getting dirty or unclean. SLIGHTLY."  
**

 **0000**

Minccino shrieked as she ran, slamming into a castle wall. She fell unconscious.

Shuckle shuddered. "Oh no. This isn't good, I-Ah!"

Paint splattered his shell. Machoke grinned as he stomped forward, aiming his gun at the remaining members of Team Eviolite.

Munchlax gulped. "If we get eliminated Plusle, there is something I want to tell you. I…"

Bidoof tackled Munchlax, knocking him out of the way of Machoke's next shot, before he fell into the moat. Plusle raised her gun, shooting him in the chest.

Munchlax gasped as he burst out of the moat. Plusle ran forward, immediately helping him out. "So...what did you want to tell me?"

Munchlax sighed again. "Just that...well, I've been thinking that maybe…"

Bidoof jumped over. "Le's go guys! This challenge isn't goin' to win itself!"

Plusle nodded. "All right!" Munchlax sighed a third time.

 **0000**

 **Munchlax looked annoyed. "Bidoof, you're a good guy and all, but you have a horrible sense of timing."**

 **0000**

The Pre evolutions started to move, but were suddenly splattered by a huge blast of paint. Bulbasaur cheered from his tank.

At the top of the wall, Electivire clenched a fist. "That's it! I'm DONE SITTING AROUND! ARRGH!" He jumped down, slamming on the ground and lifting his gun. Swampert cursed quietly.

"No you fool!"

Electivire chuckled loudly, knocking down Scrafty, who swore loudly. "What the hell are you doing this is my spot!"

Electivire simply punched him away, where the hoodlum was immediately splattered by Lopunny and Frogadier. Electivire grabbed up Scrafty's gun, and fired them both.

Lopunny was hit over and over again, before she lost balance, tumbling over the chasm she was close too. Frogadier gasped.

"I got you!" He dove off the hill, ignoring the several paint shots hitting his back. He grabbed Lopunny in the air, before firing a jet of water at the ground, using it to propel them to safety.

"Wow." Said Lopunny, blushing slightly. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

Zorua smirked, watching.

 **0000**

 **Zorua chuckled darkly. "So Frogadier is a hero huh? THAT will be used against him, really easily!"**

 **0000**

Out of nowhere, a shot hit Zorua in the skull. She groaned.

Up in the tower, Tepig grinned. "That's two. Oi! Washout! Want to give it ago?"

Slowpoke shook his head awake. "Huh….oh...no thanks, I'm good."

Tepig sighed, rolling his eyes. "Whatever mate."

He aimed another shot that took out both Carbink and Haxorus at the same time, before pointing it at the tank. It had just shot down the pre evolutions. Besides himself and Slowpoke, only Swampert, Electivire, and Braixen left.

He aimed at Audino and Eevee, before stopping. He saw Bulbasaur driving it. His eyebrow furrowed, he could get him, but it would have to be at an angle. He scanned the ground, before noticing Shuckle slumped forward in his shell.

"Got you, ya wily dingo!" He fired the shot, deflecting off Shuckle's invincible shield, hitting Bulbasaur and causing him to slump forward.

Tepig smirked. "And that's five." He glanced up. A gliding gliscor descended in the air, aiming for the tower. Tepig cracked his neck.

"Luck's not gonna help ya this time."

He snapped off a shot that Gliscor easily avoided, chuckling as he did so. Tepig fired two more, to the same effect. He groaned, looking through the scope, before firing off a single shot.

But Gliscor pulled up, dodging that one by mere inches. He pulled down, hurtling. Tepig aimed, but didn't have time to shoot before Gliscor slammed into him, knocking them both over.

The two wrestled for the gun, but Gliscor managed to knock it away. Tepig dove for his gun, but Gliscor had already fired a shot, hitting Tepig in the butt.

"Rrr! Slowpoke, take em down!" Slowpoke stared at him blankly for a moment, before comprehending. "Oh...okay!"

But before he could even aim the gun, Gliscor had already shot him in the head and snatched the flag in his claws. Hopping off, he glided away, heading for the other side.

Electivire roared, firing his gun rapidly. Audino and Eevee dove, hiding behind the now motionless tank. Electivire shot with both guns, Braixen slowly making her way forward, ready to shoot them from behind.

Audino gave Eevee a look. "We're the last ones. We need to keep them off Gliscor so we can win, got it?" Eevee looked ready to faint, but she managed to nod.

But then they were distracted by Electivire grabbing Braixen.

"NO WAY ARE YOU STEALING MY GLORY!" Audino quickly fired a few shots, but Electivire used Braixen as a living shield.

"Hey!" She shrieked as she was hit. Electivire kicked her aside, opening fire and splattering Audino.

"HA! Take that shitheads! Huh?" Electivire turned as Eevee launched out from behind the tank, screaming.

"LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!" Electivire shocked, tried to raise his gun, but Eevee was quicker. She shot him in the stomach. For a moment, they both stared in shock.

Electivire roared, lunging. But then Swampert slammed into Electivire, pinning him down.

"That is enough! You ruined the challenge! Lose with dignity!"

Gliscor flew ahead, crossing the line into the Seviper's territory.

"AND THE STRIKING SEVIPER'S WIN! FOR THE THIRD TIME IN A ROW!"

The Zangoose groaned, annoyed at their losing streak.

0000

Sableye ran forward, meeting Sableye. Misdreavus looked at him, before floating forward as well. The two met in a hug.

"I'm sorry! I don't want to fight anymore!"

"Me neither! Let's never fight again!"

Ampharos muttered under his breath. "Freakin' bipolar."

 **0000**

 **Tepig sighed. "Sorry Slowpoke. You dropped the ball today, mate. No hard feelin's."**

 **0000**

 **Minccino growled. "Tepig. He's gone this time."**

 **0000**

 **Swampert folded his arms. "Electivire. I'm sorry, but you're out of control."**

 **0000**

 **Electivire cracked his knuckles. "Easy. Slowpoke's finished."**

 **00000**

At the confessionals, the Zangoose's looked tense and annoyed. Victini wasn't helping matters.

"Three times in a row! Wow, I thought you guys were destined for greatness, but you just keep losing and losing!"

"Like the great groudons?" Asked Ninjask dryly. Victini's eyes twitched.

"Just shut up Ninjask, and take your dumb poke block." He groaned, tossing it.

"Thanks."

"Gallade….Shuckle….Plusle…You guys are safe as well."

"Hm…..Sableye and….Parasect."

As they ran up, Tepig groaned, rolling his eyes. Again?

"Munchlax….Minccino….and Umbreon!"

Umbreon quietly walked up, followed by a smirking Munchlax, who ate his on the spot.

"Grovyle, Swampert…. and…..Bidoof. Come on up as well!"

Tepig tossed the boomerang in his hands. Slowpoke yawned. Electivire folded his arms, defiant.

"Slowpoke...you are here for obvious reasons. Electivire, you acted recklessly and messed up your team's strategy. And Tepig, you failed to defend your flag…"

Tepig and Slowpoke glanced at each other, while Electivire leaned forward.

"Tepig….you are safe."

Tepig tipped his hat, grabbing his Pokeblock.

"And the final Pokeblock….goes to…."

Slowpoke shuddered, while Electivire bit his lip.

"...Slowpoke."

"Oh….cool…."

Electivire stared in shock, before screaming. "HOW DARE YOU VOTE FOR ME! I WAS YOUR STRONGEST PLAYER! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! I WAS YOUR ONLY CHANCE, I WAS-"

Bam!

Swampert had punched Electivire in the face, knocking him out quickly. "You were reckless and violent, and lacked respect. Good riddance."

 **0000**

 **Electivire roars in the confessional. "This is bullshit! No one on my team should win, except maybe Gallade. He's tough. I respect that."**

 **He sighed. "Okay, I overreacted. But still, they NEEDED me. They'll all fall now."**

 **0000**

Uggh….that was painfully hard to do. Mostly because I had a lot less time.

Oh! And Diamond Toxic wasn't able to work on this one, so if it sucks...uh that's why!

Fun fact: Sableye and Misdreavus was added last minute in a relationship. I thought of it while reading the first chapter!

Welp, I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed.


	6. Chapter 6: Dodgeball duels

**Authors note: Hey guys, DT here. I was sick so I wasn't able to help Shuckle master last time. Sorry. Anyways, I'll be working this chapter. Review and enjoy :-).**

 **Shuckle Master: Woohoo! This one will be fun!**

Minccino signed as she kicked a pebble into a bush. She was currently taking a walk in the forest, trying to clear her head. Suddenly, she leapt backwards as Tepig hopped down from a tree.

"G'day sheila. Aren't you lookin' nice today?"

Minccino rolled her eyes. "What do you want Tepig, I'm not in the mood."

Tepig smirked, slowly getting closer. "And when will you get in "the mood?"

Minccino blushed, pushing him away. "You KNOW that's not what I meant. Now leave me alone!"

 **0000**

 **"Ok, so that pig managed to avoid elimination THREE times! Can you believe it?" Minccino announced, shouting at the confessional, left eye twitching violently. "Mark my words, I will get rid of him."**

 **0000**

Ampharos was wandering aimlessly around camp, doing nothing in particular.

Once he reached the bathroom stalls, he noticed Haxorus standing there, doing nothing in particular.

"Hey Haxorus" Ampharos said, greeting the dragon like Pokemon.

"Oh, hey Ampharos" Haxorus kindly said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good. You?"

"I'm good myself. Just waiting for Carbink to come, we're planning on walking around the island." Ampharos nodded, sighing a bit. Haxorus noticed.

"Hey man...you okay?"

Ampharos gave him a look. "Yeah….not really. I'm just a bit depressed, I guess. I don't have too many friends here...and because of my clumsiness… I'm worried I'll be eliminated pretty quickly."

Haxorus smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, you haven't been bad in challenges, and anyway...me and Carbink will be HAPPY to be friends with us. Want to join us in our walk?"

Ampharos beamed at him. "I'd like that."

 **0000**

" **THAT DUNDERHEAD IS BRINGING A FRIEND!?" Shouted Carbink, his eyes bugging out. "This isn't good….I was hoping to slip off with more of these…"**

 **He nudged a crate of statues with his head. "These babies will throw the entire island off! But anyway...no one will figure it out for the next few days, so I'll be fine!"**

 **0000**

 **Grovyle held up two immunity idols in her hands, glaring. "Something's up."**

 **0000**

Audino let out a nice sign as she walked around the campsite.

0000

"And…done" Whismicott growled as she pulled off some thorns from her hair. While searching for the idol, she stumbled upon a rose bush. Believing that the idol was there, she dove in, completely forgetting that roses have thorns.

It took a lot of pulling and being pricked for her to free her body, only to realize that her hair got caught in the bush. She groaned, before her eyes flashed. There it was!

 **0000**

 **"Man that idol is hard to find" Whismicott stated as she pouted, doing her usual float around the confessional. "I searched for about two hours, but I found it in the end.**

 **0000**

Meanwhile, Zorua was practicing her illusion abilities inside the forest. Making sure she was well hidden, she transformed from one contestant to the other, smiling as she succeeded. In the corner,

Scrafty watched, an amused grin on his face.

 **0000**

 **"With my illusion ability, it makes it easier for me to sabotage almost everyone here" Zorua said, an evil smile forming on her face. "Unfortunately, my illusions does have its limits. I can't mask my voice or transform into anything I haven't seen. I also can't copy anything that a Pokemon is wearing, meaning that I can't transform into Gallade nor Lucario, which sucks since they are both huge threats in my books."**

 **0000**

As time passed, most of the Pokemon began to gather inside the cafeteria, either eating or pushing away their "food." Bulbasaur tried to eat something, but immediately started to gag. Frogadier came to the rescue

"Though I'm usually never picky, I feel like we should be served something better" Lucario said as she forced herself to eat the slop in front of her.

"Agreed" Munchlax shook his head vigorously, doing the same as Lucario. Bidoof however, chomped on it happily. "This may be awful, but it's still better'n most o' the things I eat. Thanks Hariyama sir!"

Haryana chuckled under his breath as he walked out the kitchen, spinning and then chucking a dodgeball that collided with Bidoof's head. He fell over moaning. Victini smirked as he arrived. "Hey campers! Had a nice sleep?" As a response, he was met with a bunch of groans.

"Good, now can anyone guess what today's challenge is?"

"Hm…this is a difficult one," Ninjask sarcastically stated. "I'm guessing dodgeball since that's what your friend assaulted Bidoof with."

"Ninjask, shut up" Victini growled. "Like he said, today's challenge is a simple dodgeball game. There will be five rounds. You will each pick ten Pokemon that will play each round.

No moves or abilities are allowed! Whichever team wins the most rounds wins. Oh, and everyone must play at least once, or they'll be eliminated from the game. Does everyone understand? Good, then let's head to the field."

 **0000**

 **"Dodgeball, a challenge that I can easily dominate" Machoke stated as he flexed his muscles. "With my physique, they won't know what hit 'em."**

 **0000**

 **"This challenge is in the bag" Gliscor said as he smiled at the camera. "With my bright powder here, I'll be able to dodge anything they throw at me."**

 **0000**

 **"This challenge is going to be really simple" Scrafty scoffed as he lit a cigarette. "For someone who's dodged enough bullets and other lethal objects in his life, this shouldn't be too hard."**

 **0000**

 **Munchlax gulped. "Oh...great. Sports. Fu-"**

 **0000**

The competitors soon arrived to a large field of grass. White tape cut it in half, allowing the Seviper's one side, and the Zangoose on the other.

Hariyama stomped forward, wearing a referee's uniform. Grumbling about the pay not being worth it, he blew on his whistle.

On cue, ten dodgeballs fell to the ground from the air, landing on the tape with perfect precision. Victini hopped down as well.

"Alright campers! Pick ten players to compete in round 1. Oh! And for a little motivation...the winning team gets a reward! The winners get to trade one of their team members with one of the loser's. Their choice of course."

The campers all gasped as one.

 **0000**

 **Sableye twitched. "Maybe if we win, I can join my beloved!" He looked down at the emerald in his hands. "Oh not you...precious. Just another woman."**

 **0000**

 **Charizard glared at the camera grimly. "We can't lose this challenge. We've won the last three, but that may change if the team's get disrupted. On the other hand...we'd better think of who to send away, and who we get in their place.."**

 **0000**

 **Minccino bit her lip. "This could be rough. We're down on players, and I don't want to lose one of our strongest guys. But on the other hand, if we win, Slowpoke is out of here!"**

 **0000**

Victini snickered. "Now that the bombshell is dropped, you have five minutes to pick your starting teammates!"

Parasect immediately held up a graph. "We should compare ourselves in skill from least to best, then calculate the percentage of victory, and…."

Braixen hissed. "There's no time for that. Why not just start with five good players, and five bad. I'll go, and Swampert is probably good too. Who else is actually decent at this game?"

Scrafty raised a hand. Plusle hopped up and down, and Ninjask shrugged. "With my speed, we'll get the balls easily."

The others didn't look so sure. Sableye's eye twitched, and Munchlax looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Shuckle cowered in his wagon.

Parasect sighed. "Gallade, myself, and Umbreon will join. And...I guess we should get Shuckle and Slowpoke out of the way."

Shuckle sighed, slowly crawling out, while Slowpoke woke up with a snort.

"We're screwed…" Muttered Minccino.

0000

Machoke flexed his muscles. "I'll definitely go! I got this one in the bag!"

Charizard nodded approvingly. "Good, and with me and Gliscor's dodging skills, we should be fine. Carbink….you won't be too helpful, so let's get you over with. Audino…..you and Eevee as well."

Audino smiled. "Actually, I'm pretty good at dodgeball, if I do say so myself."

Charizard shrugged. "We'll see."

0000

Victini grinned as he sat down on some makeshift bleachers. Hariyama slumped down next to him.

The Seviper's looked confident and fierce, save for Audino, who simply gave them a friendly wave. Charizard shot steam from his mouth, Machoke smirked, tossing a ball in his hand. Lucario looked focused and calm, Ampharos bit his lip, intimidated. Both Carbink and Eevee were hiding behind Haxorus. Gliscor did a few midair flips. Frogadier balanced on one hand, clearly getting into it.

The Zangoose, however, looked unorganized, and Parasect barking orders to get into certain positions. Slowpoke yawned, while Swampert took a meditative pose. Braixen looked like she wanted to burn the balls, and Plusle ran around in a circle. Shuckle gulped, tucking all of his limbs and head into his shell. Scrafty tossed his cigarette away. Bidoof pawed the ground, looking eager, and Grovyle smirked. Ninjask zoomed around, from side to side.

Hariyama whistled….and Round 1 Began!

Ninjask easily reached the line first, snatching a ball in his claws. Smirking, he chucked it and hit Ampharos's head, knocking him down. Charizard quickly reached the line as well, throwing his ball at Gallade. He managed to dodge, but it hit Slowpoke behind him.

Soon balls were flying back and forth. Gliscor easily dodged around the shots, Scrafty moved backwards, keeping out of sight, and Charizard mercilessly targeting Gallade.

Soon Pokemon were eliminated one after the other. Machoke threw a ball that bounced off Munchlax and hit Shuckle, Swampert calmly threw a ball that hit Frogadier. Lucario whipped a ball that Plusle narrowly avoided.

Surprisingly, some unexpected competitors were quite good as well. Audino caught the ball Grovyle threw at her. Bidoof rolled around, dodging balls thrown from Haxorus and Machoke, before pegging Carbink. He snatched up another one and hit Eevee at a curve. But then Lucario managed to hit him in the nose.

But Plusle, with perfect timing, threw her ball from behind Bidoof just as he went down, and managing to catch Lucario in the face.

But the Seviper's weren't finished yet. Audino ducked under a shot thrown by Umbreon, and Haxorus managed to hit a speeding Ninjask.

Scrafty and Braixen threw ball after ball, but just couldn't hit Gliscor. Charizard swung his arm in an arc, slamming a ball into Parasect's head, taking the other leader out.

Chuckling darkly, Charizard threw another ball, aiming for Gallade. The green Pokemon caught the ball, but accidentally impaled it with his sharp blades.

Victini shouted with a megaphone. "YO! YOU'RE DISQUALIFIED! BALLS COST MONEY!"

Ninjask snapped back from the sidelines. "MEW ALREADY DID THAT, ORIGINAL!"

"SHUT UP NINJASK!"

As Gallade quietly walked to the bleachers, Audino managed to catch Swampert by surprise, throwing a ball at his face. Braixen grit her teeth. This was bad. They just kept losing people.

She shouted, throwing a ball that BARELY missed Gliscor, before freezing. That had been the last ball. Gliscor winked as she stared at the remaining members of the Seviper team; Charizard, Machoke, Audino, and Haxorus. All of them holding balls in their hands, with many more to spare.

"NOW!" Charizard snapped, as Gliscor cartwheeled away. The four of them threw their balls with deadly accuracy, some throwing more than one at once.

The Zangoose didn't stand a chance. Not a single dodgeball missed its target. Scrafty, Braixen, Umbreon, and Plusle were all hit multiple times, groaning as they hit the dirt.

Hariyama whistled, signaling the end of the game. Victini cheered. "AND THE STRIKING SEVIPER'S WIN ROUND 1!"

 **0000**

 **"Yes! Round one was a success" Lopunny stated, smiling. "Hopefully we keep winning."**

 **0000**

 **"Well that was a disaster" Braixen growled at the confessional. "No offense Parasect, but you really need to plan things better."**

 **0000**

"Ok team, new plan" Parasect stated as most of the Zangoose looked bummed. "Minccino and Tepig, you two swap with Slowpoke and Shuckle. No offense, but you two won't be much of an assist in this challenge."

Slowpoke gladly strolled over to the bleachers as Shuckle did the same, sighing.

"Sableye, I want you to take Gallade's place. Though he's physically able to play, I don't want another ball popping incident." Sableye gulped as Gallade shrugged.

"Kay team…let's do this!" Parasect shouted with enthusiasm, which was not returned.

0000

 **"It's like these guys don't want to win" Parasect stated in the confessional. "They could at least be a bit more enthusiastic."**

 **0000**

 **"Not my fault if I accidentally pop a ball" Gallade calmly stated, arms crossed. "Charizard threw the ball at my blind spot and my natural reflexes kicked in. Simple as that." As he says this, he pointed at his eyepatch, backing up his claim.**

 **0000**

Meanwhile, the Sevipers were preparing their team with almost no issue.

"Since our last team worked out fine, we'll keep most of them in. However, I want Infernape and Lopunny to switch out with Carbink and Eevee. Is that alright with everyone?" As a response, Lopunny and Infernape shared a fist bump while Eevee and Bulbasaur signed in relief. They had enough dodgeball for a day.

"Good. Let's move out."

0000

Once the participating members of both teams got on the field, Victini took this as a sign to start.

"ROUND TWO, BEGIN!" Victini shouted as he blew the whistle. Immediately, Ninjask flew to the balls, grabbed one, and tossed it at the closest Pokemon to him, which happened to be Lucario. The aura reading Pokemon was unable to react in time and was nailed in the face. Ninjask flew back to his team as Charizard was grabbing his ball, nearly getting hit when the dragon like Pokemon tossed it at him.

By then, almost everyone remaining was able to grab a ball and were tossing them at the opposing team. Sableye managed to hit Haxorus, but was pelted by Ampharos. Plusle was hit right before she was able to do anything by Haxorus, same thing happening to Bidoof.

Lopunny, using her ears as an extra pair of hands, was able to throw a barrage of balls that was given to her by her teammates. However, she was only able to hit Minccino as she was attempting to catch the projectile thrown at her, but failing. Using the newly obtained balls, Braixen and Scrafty decided to focus on only Gliscor, throwing everything they've got at him. Despite being the biggest target on the Sevipers, he was able to dodge the balls thrown at him and caught one of Braixen's balls, knocking her out of the challenge.

"Keep aiming for Gliscor" Braixen told Scrafty as she walked off the field. Scrafty nodded as he caught a ball thrown by Ampharos.

Meanwhile, Tepig was trying to avoid being hit by both Infernape and Charizard, both of which were only targeting him. After a few balls, Tepig managed to catch one of Charizard's balls and threw it at Infernape, who easily caught it and threw it at Umbreon with all of his might. Umbreon, unaware of this, let out a sharp yelp when she was hit in the rib cage, the ball leaving a sharp pain in her as she walked out the stadium.

 **0000**

 **"That was completely uncalled for" Tepig stated, adjusting his hat. "Troll doll could've injured her pretty bad." He stopped, before grinning. "He earned a bit of my respect."**

 **000**

Machoke smirked as he threw a ball at Swampert, nailing him in the arm, but his victory was short lived as he was shot in the face by Scrafty, having nearly tripped as he shot at Gliscor, who hit Ninjask right after he hit Haxorus. Frogadier and Grovyle were tossing balls at one another, but were taken out by Scrafty and Charizard respectively.

It was only Scrafty and Parasect left for the Zangoose, the latter engaged in an all-out dodgeball war against Ampharos. The Sevipers were better off, with Charizard, Infernape, Lopunny, Audino, and Gliscor attempting to nail the hoodlum Pokemon. However, Scrafty was able to easily dodge everything thrown at him and managed to catch one of Gliscor's balls.

However, both Ampharos and Parasect were unable to land a single ball. Due to the fact that Parasect isn't the most physical guy out there and Ampharos was constantly tripping, both Pokemon's balls were flying all over the place, though one of Parasect's balls was able to hit Audino, who happened to be on the opposite side of the field.

"I'm not letting you win this time!" Parasect shouted, throwing a ball that was so far off, it almost hit Victini.

"Hey! Watch it down there" the victory Pokemon shouted as he ate some popcorn. As he said this, Ampharos tossed a ball at the crab like bug Pokemon, missing.

As this was going on, Scrafty was able to knock Lopunny out of the competition, but was struggling to dodge both Infernape's and Charizard's balls. With Infernape's fast throwing abilities and Charizard's grade A aim, it was amazing how the hoodlum Pokemon was able to avoid all those balls. However, after a few more minutes of dodging balls, Scrafty decided that he had enough. When he saw Charizard throw his final ball, Scrafty made his move. He leaped in the air, catching it, and threw it at Infernape. The fire monkey attempted to catch the ball himself, but it managed to hit his right knuckle, knocking him out of the competition. Since there was no one left, Scrafty grabbed one of the balls lying around and lightly tossed it at Ampharos, which bounced off the too preoccupied to notice Pokemon, winning the game.

"Ha! Victory is mine!" Parasect shouted as he raised his claws in the air. Scrafty just rolled his eyes.

"And with that AMAZING display from Scrafty, the Zangoose win round two."

 **0000**

 **"Like I said, I've dodged way worse than balls before, so this is nothing." Scrafty stated in the confessional, lighting up a cigarette.**

 **0000**

 **"I've got to admit, Scrafty's dodging game is almost as good as mine" Gliscor said, twirling his pouch around his claw. "However, there's always room for improvement."**

 **0000**

 **Umbreon growled at the confessional as she rubbed the area where Infernape shot her. "Did he really have to throw it that hard?" she asked as she continued rubbing her wound.**

 **0000**

"Ok guys, same plan as before, but I would like it if Ampharos and Audino sat this one out. You two look tired." Both Pokemon nodded, sweat pouring off their faces as the sat down on the benches.

"Misdreavus and Whimsicott, you're up" Charizard stated, as the two Pokemon came up. Whimsicott smiled, but Misdreavus had a look of worry on her face.

 **0000**

 **"Yea…I have no arms" Misdreavus deadpanned. "This is going to suck."**

 **0000**

The Zangoose decided to use the same formation, except that they swapped out Umbreon for Munchlax, due to her wounds.

Once the teams were ready, Victini blew the whistle, and just like before, Ninjask flew towards the balls, managing to get to them before Infernape did, and tossed it at the fire monkey, hitting his stomach.

Next to reach the balls was Grovyle, who tossed hers at Gliscor, narrowly missing. A few seconds later, most of the balls were grabbed by both sides of the team and were being thrown. Whismicott managed to take out Munchlax before he got to the balls. Bidoof threw two balls at Frogadier, who easily dodged them. However, they were able to hit Lopunny, who was too busy trying to knock out Scrafty.

Plusle threw a ball at Lucario, but it was in vain as the blue Pokemon caught it, throwing it at Ninjask, who barely avoided the projectile.

Gliscor, having caught Braixen's ball (who was currently raging) threw it at Parasect, knocking him out. Charizard threw a ball at Scrafty, but the hoodlum Pokemon was able to catch it.

Smirking, he tossed it to Swampert, who threw it at Misdreavus, nailing her in the face. Lucario retaliated to this by tossing two balls at the water type Pokemon, but both Scrafty and him were able to catch the balls, and threw them at both Whimsicott and Gliscor respectively. Whimsicott tried to catch the ball, but the force was too strong for the cotton Pokemon, and she was slammed into the ground, taking her out of the competition. Gliscor smirked, dodging the ball easily.

Bidoof threw two clumsy balls at Frogadier, but they were able to miraculously hit Gliscor, taking him out of the competition. Meanwhile, Tepig was using his ball as a shield, deflecting everything thrown at him. Machoke tried to hit him, but was taken out by Swampert.

"I see the scores been settled" he said as the muscular Pokemon walked off the field.

Bidoof, getting yet another lucky hit was able to hit Frogadier as he shot Ninjask out of the sky. Haxorus threw a ball, heading straight for Minccino, but Tepig jumped in the way, catching it right in front of her. He gave her a wink, as Minccino blushed, winning this round for their team.

"And round three goes to the Zangoose!"

 **0000**

 **"We really need to step up our game" Charizard stated in the confessional. "And I know just how to do it."**

 **0000**

 **"Well that sucked" Misdreavus stated.**

 **0000**

 **"Yes! We might actually WIN this time!" Braixen explained. "We've already lost too many members. One more and we'll be at a major disadvantage in the future."**

 **0000**

Parasect called a huddle. "Everyone's gone yet, right?" Sableye nodded.

"Then same strategy as before. We got this!"

0000

Charizard growled uneasily. "This is bad. One more challenge and they win. Misdreavus, you're switched with Zorua, and Donphan will swap for Infernape. Bulbasaur, substitute for Lopunny."

"Aha!" Shouted Donphan. "I am grateful for being accepted for thy quest and-"

"Put a sock in it!" Zorua snapped. "What do we do this time? We lose this and the game is over!"

Charizard smirked to himself. "I have a plan."

0000

The Zangoose and the Seviper's stared at each other, the Zangoose with slight arrogance.

"ROUND 3 BEGIN!"

Ninjask shot forward again, but this time no one came to meet him. He snatched up and ball and threw it at high a high speed, but the Seviper's, instead of running forwards, stayed back, prepared. Frogadier jumped into the air, easily catching Ninjask's throw.

The Zangoose threw their balls, but the Seviper's simply sat still, letting the balls come to them. Lucario easily caught Bidoof's ball, and Gliscor caught Minccino's.

Scrafty cursed. "Stop! Their baiting us, hold your-GAHH!" He was interrupted by Audino pegging him in the head. Now that all the balls were on the Seviper's side, they threw with ease and grace.

"FOR CAMELOT!" Shouted Donphan, snatching a ball in his trunk and sending it flying, striking Tepig in the head. Frogadier and Lucario threw their balls at Sableye, who dodged one but was whacked by the other. Plusle rolled around, expertly dodging a few shots from Haxorus and Machoke, but Zorua blindsided her, getting her out.

Swampert threw a ball at high speeds, slamming into Whimsicott. But when she rose, she revealed that she had caught his ball. Parasect panicked, accidentally popping a ball with his pincers, which disqualified him immediately.

Grovyle and Braixen stared at the whole Seviper team staring at them. Grovyle rolled her eyes. "Oh of COURSE WE'RE the last two!"

Braixen sighed. "I'll take the five on the left, and you take the five on the right."

But it wasn't long before Donphan and Charizard struck Braixen and Grovyle respectively.

"AND THE SEVIPER'S DOMINATE ROUND 4, TYING IT UP!"

The Seviper's cheered, giving each other high fives. They were still in!

0000

Charizard looked at his team anxiously. If they lose now, then it's over. After thinking about who should go out to play, he made his decision.

"Ok, Zorua, Audino, Haxorus, Lucario, Lopunny, Donphan, Machoke, Gliscor, Frogadier, and I will play. No offense, but we are probably this teams' best players. Is that alright with everyone?" Charizard asked. Everyone nodded, those who were playing were nodding nervously while the others nodded with relief.

"Ok…let's win this." After taking a deep breath, Charizard led his team to the field.

0000

Meanwhile, after many panic attacks and plan creating, Parasect decided on his team's approach to this challenge will be.

"Alright, listen up! Minccino, Tepig, Scrafty, Grovyle, Braixen, Plusle, Sableye, Swampert, Bidoof, and I will play. Umbreon is still recovering from her injuries, I don't feel safe knowing that Gallade might pop the balls, and the rest of you aren't really powerhouses. Anyways, let's win." With that, Parasect and his team made their way to the field.

 **0000**

 **"Yeah, I know I suck at physical challenges, but Parasect doesn't have to be so blunt about it" Munchlax said as he looked down, a bit sad. "Hopefully, there will be a challenge that I can excel in soon."**

 **0000**

"Final round everyone…winner takes all. Are you ready? BEGIN!" Victini shouted as loud as he could, blowing the whistle. What happened after that was utter chaos. Ninjask again managed to be the first one there and threw two balls instead on one, both aimed at Infernape, ending his brief time during the challenge.

However, he was immediately shot out of the sky by Lopunny, who was in return, hit by Sableye. Plusle attempted to hit Charizard, but the dragon starter merely caught it and threw it right at Bidoof, nailing him right on the head. Grovyle and Braixen both threw their balls at Frogadier, knocking him out of the challenge. However, Grovyle was struck by a fastball thrown by Gliscor, ending her mini reign of terror. In response, Braixen focused on Gliscor.

"You're mine" she said as she threw a ball, missing and hitting Lucario instead.

Scrafty managed to take out both Audino and Zorua fairly quickly, but was then taken out by Charizard. Haxorus barely managed to take out Tepig, switching his target to Sableye, making short work of the ghost Pokemon. Out of pure luck, Parasect shot Gliscor out of the sky as he was about to pelt Minccino with three balls.

However, he and Braixen were shortly eliminated by Haxorus, who was demolishing the competition. Donphan attempted to hit Swampert, but like before, he caught it and took out Charizard. Machoke tried to hit Mincinno, but the chinchilla Pokemon was able to catch the ball, holding her ground. However, Haxorus managed to nail Swampert right in the face, eliminating him. It was now him and Minccino left, and the latter had no balls left. Minccino sighed.

 **0000**

 **"I'm feeling major deja-vu right now" Minccino stated as she stared at the camera with a confused look.**

0000

"Oi, Minccino!" Tepig shouted at Minccino as she readied herself. She turned around and gave him a disgusted look.

"What!?"

"Don't try to confront him directly. Use YOUR strengths, don't play his game.

"Why should I trust you?" Minccino asked. Out of everyone here, Tepig was the one she least liked, let alone trusted.

"If I didn't think you could'a handled it, I wouldn't have bloody tried, eh?"

"Yes, but…"

"You have this. Show that bloody snake who's boss.." He cheered, but the look in his eyes was serious.

Minccino thought about this for a bit and then responded. "Fine…I'll do it your way."

"You're way, do it you're way, not mine."

She turned back to face Haxorus, who didn't throw a ball at her out of politeness, despite his team telling him to do so.

She gave him a determined looked as he picked up a dodgeball. He then tossed it at her, in which she dodged. He repeated this multiple times, chuckling the balls with all his might, but minccino was far too fast.

After a lot of jumping and ducking, she managed to avoid most of the balls thrown at her. She did this until he had one ball left. As he threw it, she ran towards it, ducking under it. She slid on the ground, grabbing a ball in her hands.

She threw the shot low to the ground, where it hit Haxorus' leg. He tried to grab it, but he was far too short. Campers on both sides stared, stunned. The whistle fell out of Hariyama's mouth.

Victini rubbed his eyes, before exclaiming, "And the Zangoose….win...huh?"

The Zangoose cheered, picking Minccino up on their shoulders. Tepig stood back a bit, giving her an approving nod. Minccino smiled at him gratefully.

Victini coughed. "That just leaves us with the Zangoose's decision. Which Pokemon will be traded on the other team? Since Minccino won, let's give her the chance."

Minccino blinked, looking surprised and overwhelmed. Her eyes immediately flashed over to Tepig, whose eyes met their own. He jerked his head slightly, in a nod as if to say, _go ahead._

Minccino closed her eyes, making her decision. "Slowpoke. We pick Slowpoke to trade." She ignored the incredulous look on Tepig's face. "And in exchange, we'll pick...Machoke."

Machoke breathed a sigh of relief. He shrugged his shoulders. "Better than being booted out of course. Your team could use someone like me. Mind if I joined you guys for the after party?"

Slowpoke sighed. Charizard groaned. They had just lost a powerhouse to the other team. "Well...at least we know who to eliminate NEXT!" He glared. Slowpoke yawned back in a retort. Victini's eyes lit up.

"Oh yeah, that's the REAL kicker! Slowpoke has automatic immunity for the night. You know, because his team technically won the challenge?"

Lopunny growled. "Sometimes I REALLY hate him." Lucario nodded in agreement, folding her arms.

 **0000**

 **Plusle sighed. "Well now we have no chance of protecting Slowpoke. Sorry buddy, but you're probably going to be out soon. But if one of us wins, we'll share the money, no mistake!"**

 **0000**

 **Carbink looked at the camera worriedly. "Shit, I'm done! They'll most likely vote me off for my lack of display this challenge. I have no choice, I HAVE to get someone else eliminated, and I know just how to do it."**

 **0000**

 **"Carbink asked me to get something for him in the forest" Haxorus stated. "I wonder what it is… he really didn't tell me."**

 **0000**

Donphan sighed as he walked back to the cabin, disappointed that his team lost. They were on a winning streak, and now they are back at the bottom. As he entered the cabin, he noticed a black bag sticking out under one of the beds.

 _"That's strange….I wonder what it is?"_ He thought to himself as he looked at the bag and pulled it from underneath the bed. Curiosity got the better of him and what he saw inside was a bunch of fake idols, a butter knife, and a small notebook with a camper's name on it, which was filled with plans on how to win the game. Shocked, Donphan took the bag to the cafeteria, where he showed his team his discovery.

0000

Scrafty happily whistled as he strolled around the campsite. It felt good to win, especially if your team hasn't won since day one. Not noticing where he was going, he bumped into Audino, causing them to fall.

"Hey, watch where you're going" Scrafty stated as he pulled himself up, Audino following suit.

"Sorry…I was trying to find Eevee" Audino stated. "Hey, you did really good today."

"Uh…thanks…? You did to, I guess," Scrafty stated awkwardly, not used to these type of complaints. Sure, back at his own gang he was complimented, but they were for bad things. This was new to him. Being told he did something good…it made Scrafty feel strange inside. And the way Audino's voice sounded wasn't really helping.

"Thanks. I've got to find Eevee. I'll see you around." With that, Audino walked away, leaving a stunned Scrafty to gather his thoughts.

 **0000**

 **"What…the hell…just happened?" Scrafty asked the confessional, trying to gather his thoughts. He did this for a few minutes before static kicked in.**

 **0000**

 **"Scrafty doesn't seem so bad" Audino stated. "He just needs a friend. Maybe… maybe I can be that friend."**

 **0000**

The Seviper's looked uncomfortable at the elimination ceremony, being used to winning. Victini took note of this.

"What happened guys? You were doing so good! But I guess all good things come to an end. If I call your name, come get a Poffin. Slowpoke...you are immune."

 **0000**

 **Misdreavous shrugged. "You messed up, dude."**

 **0000**

 **Smoke burst out of Charizard's nostrils. "Your scheming will not be tolerated. Farewell."**

 **0000**

 **Whismicott stared ahead angrily. "What the hell!? I thought I found the idol, but he just make fake ones? You are SO going down!"**

 **0000**

"The first Poffin goes to…..Frogadier." The frog sighed in relief, shooting his tongue and eating the pastry.

"Donphan...Infernape….Charizard." The three got up and walked ahead. Charizard gave one of the camper's a menacing look.

"Whimsicott….Lopunny….Ampharos….Bulbasaur."

He gave the remaining campers a cold smirk. "Not too many left, huh?"

"Lucario...Audino...Eevee and….Zorua. You guys are safe for the night. Eh….Misdreavus, you're safe too."

Haxorus stared in shock. Him and Carbink in the final 2! No! Carbink's eyes darted around…

"The final Poffin goes too…

Carbink."

Carbink breathed a sigh of relief, but Haxorus stood. "Carbink, I'm sorry. But I found the immunity idol!" He held a statuette in his hand.

Victini gave him a strange look. "Sorry bro, but that's a fake. Someone must have duped ya."

Carbink's eyes widened. "Why!? Why would you vote him off!? It's not fair!"

Charizard's eyes shifted uneasily. "We….we thought he had plans to dominate the game, but...the fact that he tried to use the fake idol means it probably...wasn't...him. I'm sorry Haxorus, but it looks like someone framed you."

Carbink snapped at Victini. "This is so unfair! We should have a recount! We should-"

Haxorus patted him on the head. "It's alright Carbink. I'm fine. And I had a good run. Good luck guys!"

 **0000**

 **Haxorus smiled sadly. "I had a lot of fun. But it's sad that people have gotten so competitive that they'll frame a good person. I want Carbink to win...but I'll be happy with whoever does!"  
**

 **0000**

 **Carbink cackled in the confessional. "HA! IT WORKED! It sucks that I don't have an ally anymore, but Haxorus was the only one who trusted me enough to not be suspicious. And I played my part perfectly. No one will EVER figure out it was ME!"**

 **0000**

Lucario shivered as she walked. She was slightly cold. Though she was miffed that she lost, she was just glad that SHE wasn't the one leaving.

Presently, she stepped on something. With a mutter of pain, she picked up the object. Her eye's widened.

 **0000**

 **Lucario stared at the camera grimly. "This thing could be a blessing for our team...or a curse. It really just comes down to the decision I make."**

 **0000**

And another chapter completed! This one wasn't as hard to do since we BOTH got some things done.

Haxorus is eliminated! ;( I liked him a lot, but Carbink is a jerk.

Fun fact: Parasect was originally a Goodra. We decided to change this because we thought a Parasect fit the "Control freak" personality better.


	7. Chapter 7: Easy as Pie!

0000

It was early morning, early enough for the sun to be only peaking up from the hills. Charizard sat by himself on the deck chair of his cabin, lost in thought.

"Something on your mind?" A wry voice said. Charizard's eyes flashed open. Grovyle hopped down from a nearby tree.

Charizard gave her a cold look. "What do you want? We're on different teams…..and I don't want my team to see me "fraternizing" with the enemy."

Grovyle rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I actually had a reason for coming. The false idols….that's what you're worried about, right?"

The dragon gave her a surprised look. "How do YOU know about that!?"

She tutted. "I know this island well, and I've found four of the things so far. And EVERYONE knows it. Misdreavus tells Sableye everything."

Charizard groaned. He hadn't thought about that. He'd have to deal with Misdreavus and boundaries later.

"Still…the question remains. Why are you so interested?"

"The fact that we got duped as well. I found two fakes…Swampert and Braixen found one as well. This doesn't only involve your team. In fact, it may have been one of us who did it."

"True enough…so who do you think did it?"

Grovyle tapped a claw to her chin. "Well….it could be Sableye or Misdreavus as a practical joke. It IS something they would do."

Charizard shook his head. "Hmm….I was wondering if it was Gallade. He's been off by himself. Maybe he's been scheming and plotting against all of us."

"You two are morons."

They both whirled around, staring at Umbreon. She scoffed. "The person who left those idols had to be someone close enough to Haxorus without arousing suspicion. No way could a Zangoose get into the cabin. And Gallade made a hamlet to sleep in far away. He's an outcast, not a schemer."

Charizard raised an eyebrow. "Who do YOU think did it then?"

"The answer is obvious. Who was closest to Haxorus, and who was on the chopping block three nights ago?"

A light went off in Charizard's brain. "Carbink…." Grovyle looked unconvinced.

"I don't believe that story for a second. How could he possibly carve idols with no limbs?"

"I don't know. But maybe that can be your first lead." She gave Charizard a look.

Charizard didn't like that look. It seemed to go through him, as if she were analyzing her soul. As if she knew….

"Think on it. I'm going for a walk."

As she left, Grovyle sighed. "Sometimes I just don't know about that girl…."

 **0000**

 **Charizard growled lowly, looking conflicted. "I'm struggling here. On one hand, she makes a good point. One another, she's on the other team. I should trust Carbink over her….right?"**

 **0000**

A large air horn sounded, awaking the Zany Zangoose with a start. Plusle shrieked, rolling off the bed. Braixen banged her head on the top bunk. Sableye jumped off his bed, panicking.

"I CAN'T GO BACK TO JAIL! HIT THE DECK!" He ran, but banged into the door, bouncing off and hitting the ground hard.

Parasect coughed, holding the horn. "I'm glad to see you all awake. Come on, team meeting!"

Groaning and cursing Parasect, the Zangoose got up. Braixen grabbed him by neck and pinned him to the wall.

"Alright, what's the deal?! IT'S 6 IN THE MORNING!"

Parasect coughed, pushing her away. "I have finally finished….the TIER LIST!"

He didn't have the effect he wanted. His team just gave him a deadpanned look.

"…What?" muttered Ninjask.

"A tier list! For our abilities from usefulness to uselessness. I made a chart so we can assemble a plan for our eliminations in an orderly schedule. All of you are on it."

"Huh." Said Braixen, now looking vaguely interested. "Well go on, put it on the wall, I want to see!"

Parasect taped it, (Though his pincers made several clippings, leaving the paper battered.) The team gathered around, looking at what it said:

Tier List of the Zany Zangoose

S tier- Parasect, Swampert, Umbreon, Machoke, Tepig

A tier: Grovyle, Braixen, Ninjask, Scrafty, Minccino, Bidoof, Plusle, Sableye, Gallade

C tier: Shuckle, Munchlax

"Middle of the pack? Good." Scrafty muttered. Tepig grinned, high fiving Swampert. Machoke flexed his muscles.

Ninjask slapped a claw to his forehead. "Yeah, I have a problem with this list. There is no way you are the best competitor. You need to move back like…..ten spaces."

Parasect gaped. "But…I'm the team leader! I make the plans and-"

"All in favor of bringing Parasect ten spaces?" fourteen Pokemon raised their hands.

 **0000**

" **Ungrateful ingrates!" Parasect hissed. "They'll see how good I am! They'll ALL see!"**

 **0000**

Parasect coughs. "This leads us…to the weak links. Shuckle and Munchlax…"

The two gulped, glancing at each other.

"You two have performed the worst in challenges. Shuckle….you failed miserably in dodgeball and WEREN'T EVEN THERE, for the wrestling match…but I'll give you your shell's indestructability and tactics in the Paintball challenge. Munchlax on the other hand has shown NO skill whatsoever. Sorry, but unless you shape up quickly, you're going next. Shuckle, you are on thin ice."

Munchlax moaned flopping on his stomach. Swampert gave him a look of pity, but the others simply just ignored him. The rest of Team Eviolite gathered around him as the rest of the team left.

Shuckle sighed. "We're kind of screwed…huh?" Munchlax nodded listlessly.

Plusle shook her head. "That's enough, both of you! We made an alliance, and we'll do everything in our power to keep you too in the game. And besides, you guys still have time to keep working to get better, right Bidoof?"

"Tha's right. I reckon that all of us can make it to the merge easily. We jus' gotta work hard an' stay under the radar!"

Munchlax smiled a little. "I guess you guys are right. I'm just a little down right now. You guys go on ahead."

Plusle and Bidoof went on ahead, muttering to themselves about what the next challenge would be. Munchlax sighed on the ground. Shuckle looked at him sadly.

"Hey."

Munchlax spun around. Leaning against the door was Scrafty. "Oh…uh, hi Scrafty. Didn't see you there."

Scrafty smoked, thinking of something to say. "I like you two…and I'd rather keep you in then some…..others on our team. We could work together to get out this…person."

Munchlax nodded quickly. "Okay!" Scrafty grinned. "Alrighty then. See you at breakfast."

As he walked away, Shuckle nudged Munchlax. "Be careful around him. I don't trust that guy."

Munchlax shrugged. "Welll….he's offering to help us. This might save me from elimination."

Shuckle shook his head. "There is no such thing as a free lunch. He wants something from you, and I don't think its innocent."

"Well…as long as it keeps me in the game, I'll do anything."

They were silent for a few moments.

"I could use some lunch right now."

"Same."

0000

Lucario followed Lopunny through a walk in the forest, looking at the item in her palm. She bit her lip, conflicted. Meanwhile, Lopunny was complaining.

"Geeze! Another fake idol! It's like, once you find one the others just pop out of-hey! Are you even listening?"

Lucario's eyes snapped to her friend. "Oh…sorry Lopunny. I'm just distracted today.."

"I noticed. What's your deal?"

Lucario hugged her chest. "Just…making a difficult decision. I'm fine, honestly."

Lopunny arched an eyebrow. "Are you gonna say what it is, or am I going to have to guess?"

"All right. You see-"

"CAMPERS! MEET AT THE CASTLE FOR YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE IN 5!"

Lopunny winced. "Ow…does his voice have to be so loud?"

"I'll tell you after the challenge. We should hurry."

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine."

0000

Victini was in a bad mood today. His ratings were low, Total Pokemon had come out with a shocking new episode that everyone was talking about, and one of the two channels his show was airing was debating cancelling future episodes. He needed a plan, and he needed it soon.

Hariyama was giving him a backrub. "Victini's muscles are very tense. Lot of pressure on young legendary, yes?"

Victini sighed. "My show is failing. No other regions watch it besides Johto, and that's only to make a drinking game for every time one of the contestants insults me. I got an angry email from a mother who said that Ninjask got her kid drunk."

"Victini needs only patience. Show will become more and more popular with time, yes?"

"I….guess."

"And you have Hariyama."

He cradled the young fire fox in his hands. Victini sucked his thumb. "You won't ever leave me, will you?"

"Situation is awkward now."

"Uh…as much as I like watching this relationship flourish, I'd like to get the dumb challenge." Ninjask buzzed.

Victini sighed. "All right all right! Now, I'm sure you remember this castle well, right?"

The campers all nodded.

"Good! But what you don't know, is that there's another landmark in there that you never saw! Follow me inside, everyone!"

The thirty campers followed Victini to a huge room that was pure black. In the center was a white platform that was big as well, easily as big as the grounds of a stadium. The pie was cut into 6 different portions, like a pie.

"Dang…..that looks cool"! Wowed Infernape. Victini gave him a smirk.

"This challenge is….King of the Hill!"

Ninjask chuckled. "Hey Victini. You know what this reminds-"

"Ninjask. Say another word, and you're automatically eliminated."

Ninjasked arched a brow. "Can you actually do that?"

"No." Victini whimpered. Ninjask smirked again.

"Word."

"I HATE YOU NINJASK! S-so the challenge is simple. All of you will battle on top of the platform, attempting to knock the others of the other team off. Once there's only members of one team left, that team will win. The platform itself is divided into 6 sections: ice, fire, woodland, rocky, water, , and shadow. The center will be neutral, and that is where all of you will start out. Once there are only half of you, the sections will drop, leaving you in the center. But don't worry. I have this baby for a few...surprises."

Victini chuckled, holding up a complicated remote. He tapped one of the buttons. On the center, an explosion shot off. Shuckle shuddered.

Ninjask rolled his eyes. "So...obvious ripoff aside, how is this REALLY any different from you know what?"

"This is COMPLETELY different! This one is like a pie!"

"And…?"

"And you couldn't float or fly in that one! In this challenge, you can!" Victini's eyes widened, before he covered his mouth.

Ninjask cackled. "Thanks man! You're right, this IS completely different!" Victini groaned, slapping a hand to his face. "Just get on the dumb platform…"

 **0000**

 **Ninjask laughed in the confessional. "Sometimes it's just TOO easy!"**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty smirked. "This will be a good time to find out who the REAL players are!"**

 **0000**

" **Oh man, oh man, oh man." Munchlax shivered. "This is REALLY bad for me!"**

 **0000**

" **This is gonna be awesome!" Infernape whooped.**

 **0000**

Soon, everyone was on the center of the platform. Infernape hopped up and down. Shuckle cowered in his wagon. Lucario stood, focused. Slowpoke yawned.

Victini and Hariyama sat in the stands, sharing popcorn. "My money's on Gallade."

"Gallade is one good player. Seviper's are better physically. Hariyama thinks Seviper's have this."

Victini lifted his megaphone. "BEGIN FIGHTING!"

What ensued was utter chaos.

Frogadier created two water blades in his hands. Ninjask took off like a rocket. Grovyle flipped backwards, sprinting towards the woodland section.

Other competitors met in the center, fighting viciously. Lopunny swung a kick at Scrafty, who ducked to avoid it. Ampharos zapped Braixen with a thunderbolt. Slowpoke on the other hand, tottered into the water section, splashing into a puddle to nap. Frogadier caught him with the corner of his eye. He prepared to move…

Sableye suddenly landed in front of the frog, giggling madly. He clapped his hands in front of Frogadier' face, stunning him with his fake out. Sableye shoved the poor, shocked frog off the platform, not even comprehending what had hit him. Sableye cackled maliciously, before hissing in pain. He had landed in the fire section, and hot coals burned his foot.

Charizard took to the sky, spurting out jets of fire at the platform, scattering the Zangooses. Parasect screamed like a maniac as he ran away, terrified of the flames. Charizard grinned, before unleashing a jet of fire at Ninjask, who easily avoided it.

Then he grunted in pain as he was zapped. He looked at the base of his tail, where Plusle was latched on.

"Uh...hi!"

"Get off!"

He growled and thrashed, but Plusle firmly grabbed on, refusing to release her grip.

Ninjask flew around Charizard at high speeds, occasionally landing an attack. He groaned. This wasn't easy, and Charizard's aim wasn't getting any worse.

Out of nowhere, a shadow ball connected with his face, and Ninjask hissed in pain, tumbling from the air. Misdreavus cackled as she fired another one, hitting him forward and off the platform.

"Have a nice FALL! Nya ha!" She laughed, landing into the shadow section, a gloomy and dark area that was filled with a haze.

Gallade swung a scythe out of nowhere that she narrowly avoided. "Uh-oh." She gulped, floating backwards quickly.

Gallade swung his blades in an arc before slicing them downwards.

"Byeeeeeee" said Misdreavus, vanishing into shadow. Gallade groaned.

 **0000**

 **Gallade nods. "The shadow section is the best one for me. My vision, due to my injury, is not affected by the darkness and the mist. In fact, my impaired vision gives me an edge this battle."**

 **0000**

Audino fell backwards, Machoke having kicked her in the stomach. He leered at her, but then groaned as Gliscor jumped in the way, whacking him with one of his claws.

Gliscor winked. "You are a nurse or healer right? Then just focus on supporting and healing us. Everyone has jobs."

Audino, nodding gratefully, scrambled backwards. At the same time, Ampharos turned to face Parasect.

"You stand no chance against rules and regulations! Prepare to lose in favor of my.-"

Ampharos shot a lightning bolt at Parasect, who hissed in pain. "Hey! You were supposed to let me finish my speech. It was going to last for exactly 5 more seconds, and then…"

Ampharos fired another lightning bolt that Parasect barely was able to dodge. His eyes narrowed. He fired a razor leaf at Ampharos, who managed to duck under it and aim a thunder punch. But Parasect threw up a protective shield that it bounced off of. As Ampharos was thrown off balance, Parasect shook his mushroom, spores descending downwards, putting Ampharos to sleep. He picked the shaved sheep over his head, hurling him off the platform. He laughed, calling down. "Always have a plan! Muwahahaha-eh?"

He looked down. He was sitting in the fire section. Screaming his head off, he ran to the center of the platform, covered in several burns.

 **0000**

" **I don't do well with fire okay? Don't judge, with my ability I have an EIGHT TIMES WEAKNESS TO IT!" Parasect huffed.**

 **0000**

Swampert slowly moved backwards in the water section, meditating. He could use an earthquake, he mused, but it would hurt his team as well as the others. No. He'd bait the Seviper's one by one and….

SNAP!

Swampert moved nimbly to the side, a vine missing his head by mere inches. His eyes shot open at Bulbasaur, who grinned up at the mudfish.

"Ah...clever. So they sent a grass type after me." Swampert nodded.

Bulbasaur winked. "That's right. And I know my way around a fight. You are going down!"

Swampert readied his fists. "We shall see." He spun his tail forward, water forming around it in an aqua tail. Bulbasaur hopped back nimbly, avoiding the blow. He cast out his vines once more, slapping against one of Swampert's arms.

Swampert hissed in pain. It was normally a weak move, but his heavy weakness to grass caused him a lot of damage. He dodged Bulbasaur's seed bomb, moving behind the plant Pokemon and landing an ice punch.

Bulbasaur squealed in pain from the ice type move, freezing. Swampert kicked him over the edge. He turned around, ready to face the next opponent...

Presently, a vine shot out, wrapping around Swampert's neck. Bulbasaur's vine had latched on, leaving Bulbasaur dangling. He yanked with all of his might, succeeding in bringing Swampert down with him.

Victini clapped. "Not bad!"

Meanwhile, Charizard groaned again once more in pain as Plusle zapped him. The electric type was small, so it wasn''t enough to cause serious damage, but it was definitely annoying.

"Gliscor! Get this tick off me, will you?" 

Gliscor nodded, hopping up and intending to glide, but a heavy arm smashed him to the floor. Gliscor groaned in pain, while Machoke cracked his knuckles. "No guard. Make's all attacks hit. Pretty useful, isn't it?"

Gliscor groaned. "Ugh...lucky bastard."

But Infernape came to the rescue, nailing Machoke in the jaw with a mach punch. As Machoke struggled with the hyperactive monkey, Audino rushed in, Eevee by her side. Audino hummed as she used a heal pulse, taking care of Gliscor's injuries.

"Wow….Thanks!"

"Don't mention it!" Said Audino, smiling. "Just wanted to help!"

Grovyle sprinted from tree to tree to the woodland section, easily avoiding a rolling Donphan. She stayed perched up there, ready. She smirked. She knew how to survive up there; she could simply stay up there until-

"Hey girl why lot make like a tree…."

She whirled around. Misdreavus was floating next to her, an evil expression on her face. She fired a shadow ball at point blank range, slamming into Grovyle and knocking her off the tree. She melted into shadow and moved where Grovyle landed. Hopping out, she hit the grass type as one would hit a volley ball with their head. Grovyle tumbled over the edge of the platform and fell off.

"...And leave. Nya ha! I'm KILLING myself today. AGAIN!"!

The battle raged on. With all of the areas and separate duels going on, it was nearly impossible to keep track of.

Charizard flew high in the air, swearing as Plusle continued to zap him. Gliscor and Infernape fought Machoke, slowly dragging the heavily muscled Pokemon back. Lopunny aimed several kicks at Umbreon, while the moon Pokemon dodged, pressed too hard to continue.

Gliscor and Whimsicott teamed up on Gallade, floating and gliding around him as Gallade defended with ease. Zorua and Scrafty moved shiftly on the sidelines, looking for an opportunity. Infernape stood as a guard to Audino, keeping Braixen away with ease.

Carbink floated high above anyone else, hoping to avoid suspicion. Audino darted around, healing anyone nearby, and Donphan used his rollout around in circles on the outside of the pie, doing many laps around.

Gliscor smirked as he easily dodged a slic from Gallade, before firing stones at top speeds. At the same time, Whimsicott used a leech seed that stuck into the ground, limiting the warrior's movement.

Gliscor smirked. "This isn't that hard. You aren't as powerful as you thought, Gallade."

Out of nowhere, Scrafty struck. The Hoodlum had purposely waited...looking for the perfect opportunity. He sprung forward and landed a swipe on Gliscor's back. The ogre-scorp Pokemon was caught by surprise and froze, allowing Scrafty to land several vicious punches. Gliscor roared in pain before throwing Scrafty off.

Scrafty rolled on the ground, wincing in pain but smiling, something in his hand. Gallade kicked Whimsicott to the side, before mercilessly targeting Gliscor. He swung a blade, and Gliscor was too slow to dodge. He used his wings to glide backwards into the woodland section….which was currently on fire. Braixen raised a hand.

"Hey."

 **0000**

" **I am going to KILL that fox bitch!" Grovyle snarled.**

 **0000**

 **Gliscor's eyes twitched. "WHAT! THE! HELL!"**

 **0000**

Gliscor whirled around, looking for a place to retreat, when Gallade kicked him in the stomach. He aimed a bladed fist forwards, landing a vicious blow to the bat's stomach. When Gliscor doubled over, Gallade simply used his sharp appendages to flip him over the edge.

Scrafty smirked, lighting a cigarette. Whimsicott gave him a suspicious look.

 **0000**

" **Something…..didn't feel right there." Whimsicott mused. "We had the clear advantage, but when Scrafty hit Gliscor...something changed. I need to look into that."**

 **0000**

Whimsicott glared at Scrafty, before readying her fists. Scrafty leaned backwards, grinning. Out of nowhere, a wagon barreled into the poor wind veiled Pokemon, knocking the extremely light grass type over the edge of the platform.

"Woohoo! I got one!" Bidoof cheered as he pushed the wagon forward in a run. Munchlax and Shuckle sat inside, cheering as well.

Munchlax looked down nervously. "Uh Shuckle….? Are you sure the wagon can take these hits?"

Shuckle shrugged. "It's fine. This thing is as tough as-INFERNAPE! LOOK OUT!"

The hyperactive monkey sprinted forward, his fist glowing in a bright light. He punched the wagon hard, making a dent and hitting it so hard it fell over the platform. Munchlax managed to hop off, but Shuckle tumbled over with it.

Bidoof and Munchlax both gulped at the sight of Infernape banging his fists. Munchlax sighed before his eyes narrowed. He swalllowed, his body turning purple in a stockpile move. The added defense managed to allow Munchlax to survive the next of Infernape's strikes, though it sent him several feet backwards.

Bidoof rolled around Infernape and used a hyper fang, biting onto the ape's arm. As Infernape screeched in pain, Munchlax used a move; swallow, to regain his health.

"Hurphy uhp mmnhchlx. I cnth hold himmth." Bidoof said, his words muffled by Infernape's arm.

Munchlax ran forward, managing to punch Infernape over the edge of the platform. Unfortunately, Bidoof fell with him.

Munchlax sighed. "Guess I'm all alone now."

Donphan rolled forward, narrowly missing the big eater Pokemon. Munchlax cried as he ran into the rock section, running in zigzags to avoid the elephant.

Victini called. "That's eleven who've been eliminated! Another 4 and the sections are coming DOWN!"

The fighting became more and more intense. Scrafty traded blows with Lopunny, who was being healed constantly by Audino. Zorua and Minccino were duking it out, while Machoke and Tepig watched, placing bets. Munchlax ran desperately from Donphan, Carbink and Charizard tried to fire attacks off at Gallade, who nimbly avoided them, though Charizard was constantly being zapped by Plusle.

"RRGH! FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!"

"I go with what works!"

Misdreavus slipped around, firing an attack before flying into the shadows, keeping Braixen on guard. Lucario flipped backwards as Parasect, Sableye, and Umbreon teamed up on her, surprisingly putting up a good fight, but clearly overwhelmed.

Charizard grit his teeth, they were outmatched in speed and strength. He had to think of a plan before….Argh damn it! He needed to stop those shocks!

Charizard rose higher in the air, doing several midair flips. Plusle shrieked as she tried to hold on, but ultimately failed. Before she hit the ground, however, Charizard grabbed her, and chucked her at Munchlax, hard.

Plusle and Munchlax collided and they both slumped over, groaning and slipping on the ice that happened to be in that section. Donphan ran over, careful not to slip, and swept them up with his trunk, knocking them both over the edge.

Lucario growled lowly, this was bad. The three Pokemon facing her took their time, clearly sensing victory. Lucario closed her eyes. Of the three, she could only sense Parasect's movement with her aura. The other two were dark types, completely immune to her power.

Umbreon lunged, and Lucario was caught off for a moment….

But then a shadow ball struck the dark type in the jaw, knocking her into the rock section, where she slapped against a boulder. The other three spun around, shocked. Eevee had used the move, and was now sprinting forward, tackling the stunned Umbreon over the edge.

Lucario used the distraction to her advantage, charging an aura sphere and kicking Parasect to the side. Sableye hissed and lunged, but Lucario dodged easily and roundhouse kicked the poor gem eater, sending him dangerously close to the edge. As he struggled to regain balance, Parasect tried to snap at Lucario with his pincers, but she managed a flip over the parasite's head, throwing the aura sphere on his exposed back.

Parasect was knocked forward into Sableye,(who had just regained balance) and sending them both over. Lucario grinned, cracking her knuckles.

Charizard and Carbink both aimed attacks at Gallade, keeping him back, before they heard a loud whoop.

Charizard turned just in time to see Machoke throwing Tepig in a somersault, landing onto his head and knocking them both down to the platform. Machoke jumped in the air as well, hitting Carbink in a spike that sent him straight down, missing the platform by several inches.

"AND THAT'S 16! TIME TO DROP THE EXTRA PLATFORMS!" Victini cheered. Pressing a button, all of the sections besides the center were slowly dropped, as the Pokemon who were on them made a mad dash for the center.

The center platform was smaller, but still easily big enough for 15 Pokemon. Machoke moved forward, facing Lopunny.. Tepig rolled around, avoiding attacks from Charizard. Gallade and Lucario engaged in a fierce duel, Lucario forming a long bone that she used like a staff, twirling it in her hands to block blows from Gallade's tonfas. Scrafty ran forward and fought both Eevee and Audino, aiming drain punches, hoping for a chance to heal.

Donphan continued to use rollout around the ring of the platform, keeping everyone away from the outside. Minccino was kicking Zorua away,, while Braixen shot jets of fire from her stick, that Misdreavus twirled in the air to avoid.

Scrafty threw a drain punch that Audino barely managed to avoid, before she landed a wake up slap. Scrafty stumbled, and Eevee moved in, headbutting the hoodlum's legs to knock him over the platform.

Tepig groaned as he was knocked aside the room by Charizard. He rolled to his feet, witnessing Eevee and Audino take out Scrafty. He rolled his eyes.

"Pretty pathetic, mate." He said as he used a powerful flame charge, tackling Audino and knocking her off the platform easily. Eevee jumped at him from behind, but Tepig ducked easily, and Eevee sailed over, screaming her head off as she tumbled downwards and joining Audino. The eliminated contestants sat in the stands, cheering for their respective teams.

Minccino performed a tail slap on Zorua, before kicking her backwards, but was struck by Lopunny from behind. Lopunny dd a spinning kick, smacking the poor cincilla out of the arena.

Lucario spun her bone staff, deflecting slashes from Gallade as best she could, but she was slowly being pressed backwards. Gallade's single eye focused on her's, making her grow uncomfortable.

Victini sighed, looking at the battling pairs. "This is getting boring, time to sabotage!" He began pressing buttons on his remote.

The center of the Platform began to shudder. Large columns began to rise and fall randomly, separating some of the contestants.

But those weren't the only surprises. Machoke's foot sunk into a random hole that appeared out of nowhere. An electric fence formed around the outer layer. Lopunny's sensitive hearing allowed her to dive out of the way, narrowly dodging a mine's explosion.

Victini nodded at Sableye, impressed. "The mines were a nice touch."

"Wait a minute…" Muttered Minccino. "YOU made that torture device!?"

Sableye and Victini high fived, snickering.

0000

Braixen watched the rising and falling columns that separated her from the others. If she could just find a pattern…

A shadow ball suddenly struck her in the jaw, the impact knocking her down. Misdreavus cackled from above.

"You know, I don't see what's hard about this." She giggled. But then she spun to avoid a fire attack from Braixen, who was seeing red.

"Uh-oh. Welp, time to go!" She shouted, hopping into the shadowy portal of a phantom force.

"Oh no you don't!" growled Braixen, using her stick to cast a flamethrower into the portal, dousing it in flames.

Silence.

And then Misdreavus flew out of it, yelping from the burns. "Too hot, hot, hot!"

And then Braixen tackled her, rolling dangerously close to the edge. Misdreavus groaned, stunned. Braixen smirked, aiming another burst of flame.. Misdreavus became outlined in purple just as Braixen blasted her with fire, knocking her over the edge.

Braixen smirked, before purple outlined her as well, and there was a flashing pain. Braixen tumbled after the ghost type.

"What….was that?"

 **0000**

" **Destiny bond, bitch!" Misdreavus giggled. "I always win, even when I lose."**

 **0000**

Lucario stumbled backwards, narrowly dodging a slash from Gallade. She cursed under her breath. She needed a plan. But her thoughts were interrupted when she hit a tripwire, tripping and falling to the ground as a trap was sprung. Arrows flew out from behind openings of a wall. that formed up from the platform. They went over Lucario's head, aiming straight for Gallade.

The Blades Pokemon, however, spun in an arc and slashed with his blades. The arrows were sliced in half and fell harmlessly to the side. Lucario gaped, but recovered quickly. She slid under Gallade's legs, managing to trip him. She flipped backwards, firing a well aimed flash cannon.

But Gallade rolled under it, kicking Lucario in the chest. Lucario bounced off the wall, groaning as she held her sides. Gallade followed with another, knocking her off the arena.

"And there goes Lucario! These campers are dropping like flies!" Victini shouted from his microphone.

Gallade suddenly hissed in pain as fire shot towards him, singing one of his arms. He whirled around in time to see Charizard flying towards him. As he leapt backwards to avoid the dragon's swinging tail, he muttered under his breath. The flamethrower had gotten a lucky burn on him.

There were only three sets of fighters left. Lopunny was kicking at Machoke, Tepig was rolling around desperately to avoid Donphan, and Charizard was pushing back Gallade, slowly backing the weakened Pokemon to the ring.

Tepig somersaulted over Donphan, rolling to his feet, back to back with Minccino. "That rollout is bloody obnoxious."

Minccino smirked. "Tell me about it." She punched Tepig hard in the nose, knocking him down with a squeal. Her form shifted to reveal Zorua. "Moron."

She held up the groaning pig, prepared to drop him over the edge when Tepig snorted. A literal snort that shot smoke out of his nose. Zorua coughed, dropping him.

Tepig grinned as he kicked Zorua's legs out from under her, and she toppled out of the platform.

"Moron." Said Tepig, smirking. But then his smirk changed to surprise as Donphan's rollout slammed into him, sending him off as well.

Donphan chuckled. "AND THE NOBLE KNIGHT WINS AGAIN!"

Gallade cursed as he barely avoided a blow from Charizard. He aimed a strike, but it was sloppy and uncoordinated. The burn was severely hampering his ability to fight. He aimed another slice, but Charizard dodged it easily, kicking him in the chest and kicking him out of the platform.

Machoke put his arms in front of his face to block repeated kicks from Lopunny. The rabbit used incredible agility to move around him, but if Machoke could _just_ find an opening.

Finally he found the opening. Lopunny aimed a high jump kick that viciously struck the Machoke's side. The athlete groaned in pain, but recovered quickly. His eyes glowing red, he performed a revenge in an uppercut, doing double the damage he had just received. Lopunny tottered for a moment, before slipped off the edge.

"Woohoo! That's how I-oh." Machoke frowned, staring at Charizard and Donphan,, ready to fight.

"Am...I the last one left?" The other two nodded, advancing with smirks.

Machoke suddenly froze, before flashing in a bright light. Everyone gasped.

When the light faded, A new Pokemon stood in Machoke's place. He was now the color gray and had four arms instead of two. He whooped in delight. "Awesome! I'm a Machamp now!"

Victini looked shocked, before shaking himself out of it. "And...in a SHOCKING turn of events, Machoke has evolved into Machamp! But will it be enough to stop Charizard and Donphan, two powerhouses for their team!?"

Charizard gnashed his teeth. "It means nothing. We still hold the numerical advantage. Donphan you go in, and I'll finish him in the air."

Donphan nodded, curling into a ball and rolling forward at high speeds. Machamp tensed, ready.

And then he swung two of his arms forward in a clap, slamming into both sides of Donphan. Donphan stopped immediately, wincing in pain. Machamp's other two arms shot forward, grabbing Donphan's trunk and judo throwing him off the platform.

"C'mon, is that all you got?"

Charizard snarled as he descended downwards, landing a wing attack. Machoke stumbled backwards, but managed to recover, grabbing Charizard and using a seismic toss, hurled him down into the ground.

Charizard tried to rise, but Machamp responded with a kick that sent him rolling over the edge.

Macham threw up his arms in victory. The campers in the stands stared in shock. Braixen cheered.

"We won!"

"Not quite." Victini with a cold smile. "There is still someone left."

"But….Who could possibly….?" Muttered Misdreavus before her eyes widened. "You don't mean…."

"That's right! SLOWPOKE is STILL in!:

Slowpoke woke up from his nap in the corner. "...Huh?"

The Seviper's all sighed. "It's over then." Muttered Frogadier. But Lucario clenched a fist, gritting her teeth.

"I have no choice. I hope I don't regret this." Lucario said, holding something in her hand. Then she shouted to Slowpoke.

"Catch!"

She threw the thing in her hand with accuracy, colliding with Slowpoke's head as Machamp ran forward, ready to finish him off.

He suddenly froze, staring at the king's rock in front of him. Then SLowpoke glowed in a bright light as well, slowly growing tall and stood bipedal. He ad a red and white ruff around his neck, and a gray crown on his head.

Machamp stared in surprised, but shrugged and threw a powerful fist. But a pink arm shot out, catching the hand. The new Pokemon gave the superpower a look. Slowly, the crown spun around, revealing two eyes.

"Howdy! I'm Shellder! And this is Slowking!" Slowpoke, or rather, Slowking gave Machamp that seemed slightly less vacant look then usual, with a surprising amount of intelligence.

"Surprise attacks are rude." He said. Before his eyes glowed with a bright pink light. A psychic force blasted Machamp, sending him flying backwards. The Pink Pokemon, stretched.

"Hmm…Who are you? Are you a part of my body?"

Shellder shrugged, which wasn't easy to do without a torso. "Kind of. See, I was born when you evolved, giving you more intelligence!"

"That's neat."

"Graaaagh!" Shouted Machamp. lunging. Slowking flicked his hand, and he was thrown to the side.

"So….I have psychic powers now…?"

"You've always had psychic powers. You just weren't smart enough to use them. But with me at your side, we can-,"

Machamp swung his fists down, but Slowking formed a barrier that easy deflected it.

"-Do well together."

Machamp roared. "C'mon man! You are making me look bad!"

"Oh….sorry." Said Slowking, looking mildly surprised. "Were we fighting?" He let out a yawn, that managed to reach Machamp. He yawned as well, before slumping to the ground, fast asleep. Slowking yawned once more. "I think I might take a nap."

"HEY!" screamed Whimsicott. ""You NEED TO KNOCK HIM OUT FIRST!"

"...Huh?"

"The challenge, remember?" Reminded Shellder patiently. Slowking nodded quickly.

"Oh….right…" He lightly used his psychic powers to lift up and toss Machamp over the edge of the platform and onto the ground below.

"AND THE SEVIPER'S WIN!" Screamed Victini through the microphone. "THAT….was really unexpected. Geez these games are weird."

 **0000**

 **Lucario looked down. "Ugh. Slowking's a threat now. But at least we won the challenge, right? I hope I won't regret this…"**

 **0000**

 **Shellder sat atop Slowking's head. "So…..do I count as a contestant? Do I get a vote?"**

 **0000**

 **Gliscor groaned. "Ow….Gallade's blades really pack a-hey! Where's my brightpowder?"**

 **0000**

Munchlax sighed. It looks like he would be going home tonight. Unless of course…..

"Hey. You voting with me?"

Munchlax whirled around. Leaning against a tree was Scrafty.

"Uh...I guess so. I'm just a little nervous."

"Don't be. I got some others to vote for them too, so with you and your friends, we'll control the vote for sure."

 **0000**

" **Ugh." Moaned Munchlax. "I don't want to go home, but I haven't forgotten what Shuckle warned me about. I guess it's in my best interests to vote with him, but….I feel like I'm selling my soul to Giratina or something."**

 **0000**

 **Parasect clicked his claws. "He did better this challenge, but I see no reason NOT to eliminated Munchlax. Goodbye."**

 **0000**

 **Sableye and Misdreavus were making out in the confessional. They fell to the ground.**

 **0000**

Everyone in the Zangoose team looked irritable. They lost AGAIN! Victini looked like he wanted to mock them, but was nervous of what Ninjask would say. He instead tutted.

"Let's just get to the point shall we? And I gotta say, for who you eliminated? That was pretty cold guys."

"The first Poke block goes to…..Plusle." The Red Pokemon looked at Munchlax nervously as she grabbed her Poke block.

"Sableye….Minccino…..and Tepig? Nice job dude."

Tepig threw his boomerang, snagging two pokeblocks from the plate and giving one to Minccino. Sableye had to duck as it flew passed him.

"Parasect….Grovyle and…..Bidoof. You guys are safe."

Munchlax glanced at Shuckle. What if they weren't safe after all.

"Scrafty….Shuckle….and….Braixen, come on up."

Victini pondered for a second. "Umbreon and Shuckle….get on up her as well. And Swampert."

There were only three competitors left. Munchlax looked terrified, Machamp looked confident, and Gallade simply stared at the fire.

'Gallade, you are still in." 

Machamp and Munchlax glanced at each other anxiously. Moment of truth….

"The final Poke block goes to…...Munchlax."

Plusle and the rest of team Eviolite cheered and hugged him. Parasect looked apocalyptic.

"What is this mutiny…?" He hissed. "Why didnt you vote Munchlax?"

Machamp grumbled. "That's what I'd like to know."

"Sorry, you were just a threat. Annnd you kinda got wrecked in that last challenge." Said Grovyle apologetically.

"Whatever." Machamp groaned, heading for the dock.

 **0000**

" **That was dumb of them." Said Machamp sourly. "They just like getting rid of their best players? No wonder they lose so often."**

" **Who do I want to win? Swampert or Munchlax. Yeah that's right, Munchlax. Anyone who stays instead of me BETTER win." He kissed his muscles.**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty grinned. "And another threat is flushed down the toilet. Sometimes it's just too easy. Though...there's one more thing I have to do before relaxing…"**

 **0000**

Carbink groaned, slamming his head against the wall of his cabin. He needed to find a way to get someone else to be his next scapegoat, but he could think of nothing.

"Hey."

Scrafty walked up to him, smoking a cigarette. Carbink gagged on the smoke, but recovered quickly enough to give a friendly smile.

"Oh hey Scrafty, what do you want?"

Scrafty chuckled. The rock was good, he'd give him that. "I'm here for a….proposition."

Carbink gave him a strange look. "What do you mean?"

Scrafty rolled his eyes. "Look you can cut the act. I know you made the fake idols."

"Wha-no! Haxorus was my best friend here!'

"And thus it was easy enough to frame him. It was a smart move, I'll give you that."

"But-"

"Whatever, I don't care. I just have a….request for you. Get rid of Whimsicott for me."

Carbink rolled his eyes. "And why would I do that?"

"Because if you do...I'll give you this." He reached into his pants, taking out a wooden object. It was the idol.

Carbink's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. He could tell instantly it was not one he himself made. "D-deal."

"Pleasure doing business with ya." Scrafty smirked.

 **0000**

" **That crystal is clever." Scrafty nodded. "But not clever enough. The fool PROVED to me that he was the one who cooked up the idol scheme. No way he would have agreed if he didn't know for a certainty that it was the real deal." He stopped, before grinning widely. "Unfortunately for him, he isn't the only one who knows how to carve."**

 **0000**


	8. Chapter 8: The Obsta-SKILL course

And here's the next chapter guys! Just in time for Thanksgiving! If you are American at least!

Hope you enjoy it!

0000

Audino was taking a short walk with Eevee. The little fox seemed terrified of everything, even the trees. She thought of something to say to calm her.

"So... I've noticed…. your fur is gray…. are you a shiny Pokemon?"

Eevee nodded, blushing and looking down. "Uh…. yeah. I don't like talking about it."

"I noticed that as well. Why do you wish to hide it?" It was Umbreon who spoke, and she gave Eevee a sharp look.

"EEEEEH!" Eevee screamed, startled. She stumbled, tripping over a rock and falling over the edge of the hill, where she splashed into the water below.

Audino gasped, leaning over. "Oh no! Somebody save her!"

"Here I come to save the day!"

Frogadier dove in the water out of nowhere, splashing after Eevee. He emerged, the now very wet fox in his hands.

Audino and Umbreon ran after them. "Are you two alright?"

"F-fine thanks," Eevee's blush was even more prominent. Umbreon moved quickly, grabbing her a towel. Frogadier calmly shook off water droplets.

"That was really cool Frogadier!" Audino chirped. "Now that I think about it, you've always been quick to help others."

Frogadier rubbed his head sheepishly. "Well….I've always wanted to be a knight in shining armor or a superhero or something like that. So I do a lot of community service projects and was in the Peace Corps for a while."

Audino was beaming. "That is amazing! You know, we're having a blood donation soon, and it would be wonderful if you took part!" 

"I DEFINITELY would!"

 **0000**

 **Umbreon rolled her eyes. "And that's two people who WON'T be winning this season. I feel a bit sorry, but nice people just aren't cut out for this type of game."**

 **0000**

Umbreon stalked over to a quivering Eevee. "I'm sorry I startled you."

"Oh! It-it's alright! I get sc-scared easily."

"I noticed. You need to learn to calm down," She said impassively.

Eevee admired Umbreon. She was so strong and calm, she wished she could be just like-wait a minute.

"You were once an Eevee, weren't you?" Umbreon rolled her eyes.

"Yes, that's how evolution works."

"W-well, I was wondering if y-you could help me with my confidence issues. You probably would understand me the most, right?"

"When I was an Eevee I was rebellious, had an attitude a mile wide, and hated natural light. There is nothing that will make us understand each other."

"Oh," said Eevee sadly.

Umbreon gave her a surprisingly warm smile. "Alright, I'll take you under my wing, but no more freaking out, okay?"

Eevee hopped up and down happily. "Okay!"

0000

"So… what's your favorite color?" Munchlax asked Plusle before mentally smacking himself. The two Pokemon were at the cafeteria, waiting for Hariyama to start serving "breakfast."

"Er…that's a pretty difficult question. There are a lot of really cool colors, but I'm going to go with yellow, 'cause it's the color of lightning. How about you?"

"White! Because that's the color of my stomach" Munchlax said, trying to crack a joke. Munchlax then banged his head on the table realizing how awkward that sounded. Plusle giggled.

 **0000**

" **Yeah…I've never been too good with girls," Munchlax said as he let out a huge sigh. Arceus…. she probably thinks I'm a huge dork by now."**

 **0000**

Meanwhile, both Bidoof and Shuckle were both watching Slowking, amazed.

"So Shellder, when did you uh...gain consciousness?" Shuckle asked awkwardly.

The shell on top of Slowking's head winked. "Well...I've always been a part of Slowking, his untapped potential. Once he evolved, I gained a physical form!"

Slowking on the other hand, was snoozing. Occasionally he'd mutter something quiet under his breath.

Bidoof whistled. "Wowie! Ya think if I evolved I could get a Shellder on m' head too?"

Shuckle looked downcast. "I wish I could evolve."

"Well maybe ya can! I reckon you just need to put yourself to th' limit, and you'll have a Shellder on your head in no time!"

"Ugh I put myself on the limit just by moving to get here. This shell is SO heavy…."

Bidoof raised an eyebrow. "Hey wait a minute. I've been draggin that wagon of yours for th' entire competition. You haven't really done anythin'."

Parasect jumped out of nowhere, jumping on the table. "Interesting. Veeeeeery good point Bidoof. I have come to the conclusion that SHUCKLE is now on the chopping block."

"Woohoo! I'm off the hook!" Munchlax cheered, before Plusle gave him a disapproving look and he went silent immediately.

"Hold on!" Bidoof protested. "Tha's not what I….."

"Too bad!" Parasect said gleefully. "Shuckle, this is your last chance to do well in a challenge, or you will be eliminated."

Shuckle slammed his head on the

Gliscor was panicking as he glided around the island for the umpteenth time. He STILL couldn't find his brightpowder, and he had looked everywhere. Could someone have stolen it….?

He hissed suddenly, bumping into a tree. It did not go unnoticed by both Whimsicott and Zorua. The dark fox simply chuckled cruelly and walked off, but Whimsicott looked thoughtful.

 **0000**

" **Over these last few days, Gliscor has been having a LOT of these screwups," said Whimsicott uncertainly. "He used to be a hotshot flier, with incredible moves but….now he's had these clumsy accidents. Something DID happen at the arena last challenge, didn't it?"  
**

 **0000**

"ALL CAMPERS MEET AT THE BASE OF MT. VICTORY!"

"Wow….he named a mountain after himself? Egostatistical bastard," muttered Zorua. Minccino scoffed.

"Speaking of egostatistical…." Tepig nodded.

"That's right. Your as stuck up as-"

"Don't agree with me."

"Sheesh, sorry."

The two bickered all the way to the large base of a mountain, where the others had already arrived. Victini was waiting for them impatiently.

"This challenge is a DOOZY. The twenty nine of you need to partake in the great OBSTA-SKILL COURSE."

Silence.

Then Misdreavus was cackling at the top of her lungs. "AHAHAHA! SKILL! PRICELESS! AHAHA! Ahaha! ah ha! eh he! he? What's with you guys?"

Nearly everyone else was complaining about another physical challenge. Victini groaned, blowing a whistle.

"Alright settle down! The Obsta-skill course is cut up into five different parts. The first is a hurdle jump. Each camper has a set of hurdles to clear. If you fail to clear any of them, you will be immediately disqualified. Any questions?"

"Uh yeah…." Bulbasaur raised a vine. "How much can we pay to get out of this? Seriously, I have my dad on speed dial."

"About as much as my beautiful bod, so pretty much priceless. Now, get to the starting line, YA SLACKERS!"

The cast quickly ran, getting quickly into designated positions. Victini grinned at them. "We found the hurdles weren't "interesting enough," so we packed a few surprises. Have fun!"

Each camper ran forward, facing their respective hurdles. Some campers, like Ninjask and Misdreavus, simply flew over the hurdles easily, but others struggled. Charizard was far too big, and cursed as he tripped over one and thus ending his time in the challenge rather shortly. Donphan wasn't able to make it either, as well as Parasect, who couldn't even make the jump.

Lucario and Frogadier moved nimbly, easily jumping over their hurdles, but Lopunny moved with the skill of a gymnast, flipping over them with style and grace. Many of the other competitors were far slower, including Munchlax, Bulbasaur, and Slowking. Shuckle was in dead last.

Victini sighed. "This is a LOT more boring than I originally thought. Time to make this interesting!"

 **0000**

" **Ah geez!" Gliscor slapped a claw to his forehead. "If I had my brightpowder that wouldn't have even been a problem.**

 **0000**

"C'mon, Munchlax you can do it!" Plusle cheered as she bounded over a hurdle. Munchlax hopped after her, breathing heavily.

"This is hella hard. I wasn't built for a challenge like this!"

"Don't worry, you'll be fine as long as you focus."

Munchlax nodded. "Uh listen Plusle. This will come out of nowhere, but-,"

"Woohoo! This is bettern' that Rapidash rodeo!" Bidoof whooped, jumping in between them. Munchlax was caught off guard and stumbled.

He tripped, knocking over several hurdles in the process. He groaned as he fell flat on his face. Plusle sighed.

"Hey dad?" Bulbasaur held up a phone with his vine. "You know those anti gravitational rocket boots I got my last birthday? I think I might need them now, can you send the chopper?" Zorua made a disgusted sound.

 **0000**

" **He may not be a threat, but I can't STAND that rich brat." Zorua scowled. "If I can, I might take him out early, he's THAT annoying."**

 **0000**

Ninjask and Misdreavus both reached the other side extremely quickly. Carbink following after them. Despite their overwhelming advantage, Infernape was right behind them, whooping as he flipped over the last hurdle.

"Woohoo! Come on, guys! What's taking you so long! I could run faster in my sleep!"

Ninjask rolled his eyes. "I WISH you'd sleep."

Lopunny managed a triple flip over her last hurdle and landed in a roll. "Nailed it."

Lucario and Frogadier both landed at the same time, followed by Grovyle, who sniffed the air.

"Is something….burning?"

Her eyes widened as she stared at Braixen, who dusted herself off calmly and went over to join them. Behind her, nearly all of the hurdles were burning.

"S'up."

Grovyle's eyes began to twitch. She looked like she wanted to scream something, but Braixen was saved by Plusle hopping over, Bidoof right behind her.

Victini soon arrived, with a perplexed expression. "What the hell are you guys waiting here for? I didn't say you could take a break!"

"You didn't TELL us what the next part was!" Minccino screeched as she hopped over.

"Oh yeah. Whatever, you can figure it out." Victini replied, rolling his eyes and teleporting.

"Argh! I can't wait any longer!" Infernape shouted. He sprinted forward, starting the next portion of the challenge. But he froze when he saw cannons pointing at him from all directions. "Oh. Well it's not like they would actually-,"

BOOM!

Dodgeballs fired out of the cannons, aiming straight for the flame Pokemon. Infernape gulped as he moved nimbly from side to side, dodging them as best he could.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me!" Minccino hissed. "This cannot be legal!"

"Meh. I don't think anyone would care either way. Victini could be murdering people live and he STILL wouldn't get attention." Ninjask chuckled.

"Well, I'd better get this over with," Ninjask muttered. He shot forward like a bullet, maneuvering through the dodgeballs with ease. Misdreavus tried to follow, but was beaned almost immediately.

Gliscor shuddered. "What the hell are we going to do?"

Frogadier gave him a strange look. "Uh...shouldn't YOU know that? You are a dodging menace."

"Oh uh...heh heh. Yeah! Let's go!" Gliscor boasted unconvincingly. "Well I guess I'll uh….start dodging, ha ha." He spread his wings and took to the air.

"Alright Gliscor, you got this. You don't need a brightpowder to dodge these big, high speed….cannon shots…..This was a terrible decision wasn't it?"

Gliscor hissed in pain as he was pelted by dodgeballs. Braixen sniggered as she ran past him. "Thanks for the shield, bat boy."

Plusle, Grovyle, and Minccino followed, dodging as many shots as they could. Lucario sighed as she and Lopunny ran forward as well, Frogadier and Misdreavus at the rear.

More and more Pokemon finished the hurdle section, quickly moving on. But sadly, not all of the Pokemon could make it. Tepig rolled around to dodge the shots easily, but Swampert's large frame got him hit on the shoulder. Bidoof was hit on the side, and Carbink was struck in the pace.

Eevee moved quickly, desperately dodging as many cannon shots as she could. Umbreon was behind her, dodging the balls in a far calmer and disciplined manner.

"Eevee," She murmured. "You need to calm down. Focus on your ears. They are sensitive enough to detect movement. Listen, don't look."

Eevee closed her eyes. A cannon swivelled, firing at her. Eevee's ears twitched as she rolled to the side, easily avoiding the shot.

Scrafty scoffed as a dodgeball whizzed past his shoulder. "Uh...Nightwing? As sweet as this little tutoring session is, I'd prefer we didn't assist the other team?"

Zorua gave Eevee a sharp look. "That's right! I don't want to see you fraternizing with the enemy! You'll spill ALL our secrets!"

"I-I wouldn't…." Eevee looked down, ashamed. Umbreon gave Zorua a withering look.

"Why don't you mind your own business. Maybe if you focused on your own performance instead of criticising others', you could actually be a good competitor."

Zorua's face turned red. She tried to respond with a biting comment, but simply sputtered stupidly, and she was quickly hit in the head by a dodgeball. Scrafty simply gave Umbreon a shrewd look, but continued moving.

Slowking finally hopped over the last hurdle, looking proud of himself. Shellder however, was not so pleased.

"We're way behind!" He hissed in Slowking's ear. "Hurry!"

"Oh yeah…..right," Slowking yawned, running in a slow jog, Dodgeballs shot at him, but he grabbed them whenever they got close with his mind, redirecting them. Despite his slow gait, his progress allowed him to move ahead of many of the still dodging competitors.

Ampharos tripped over a ball that hit his leg, and fell flat on his face. Bulbasaur accidentally slapped a ball away with a vine out of reflex, disqualifying him as well. Meanwhile Tepig scowled up at Whimsicott, who was floating high above the cannons.

"Can she do that?"

"There's no rule against it, porky!" Whimsicott stuck out taunted as she stuck out her tongue playfully. Tepig simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Oi Shuckle! How would ya feel about being shot out of a cannon again?"

"Screw you!"

Shuckle was way behind everyone else. He crawled very slowly forward, moving past the hurdle section into the dodgeballs. He didn't know HOW he managed to hop over those last hurdles.

He managed to stay low to the ground, below the cannon's line of fire. Slowly but surely, he made his way forwards.

Audino smiled at Eevee ahead of her, who had now seemed to have gotten a rhythm in avoiding those dodgeballs. She was happy for her.

Out of nowhere, Sableye shouted a battle cry, hopping on top of Audino's head.

"I NEED MORE SCREEN TIME! RAHH!"

Audino screamed as she was caught completely off guard, being hit in the shoulder by a dodgeball in the process. Sableye flipped off of her, cackling madly.

"The rubies will all be mine once I win my dears!" But it wasn't long before the cannons targeted him, pelting the poor darkness Pokemon again and again.

"Ah! Shit! Hell! DAMMIT!"

 **0000**

 **Audino looked shocked. "What in the world!?"**

 **0000**

 **Sableye stumbled around in the confessional. "I reign…..supreme." He giggled, before collapsing.**

 **0000**

Ultimately it was Ninjask who got to the other side first, winking at a scowling Victini at the other side.

"Why is it always you?" Victini complained. Ninjask shrugged.

"Guess I'm just that good."

"Yeah well...flying won't help you in this part of the challenge! Enter. Mount. VICTORY!"

Ninjask stared at the high mountain ahead of him, its peaks reaching the clouds. "Uh….and what the hell am I supposed to do with this mountain?"

"Scale it, genius. Oh and no using wings. At ALL. If you don't climb, you get disqualified."

Ninjask muttered something under his breath, but dug his claws into the mountain, slowly climbing. It wasn't long before Infernape caught up, moving quickly up the mountain and easily passing the cicada.

"Woohoo! This easier than that time I kidnapped that girl, and climbed to the top of that really tall building. And there were airplanes and-AH!"

The area of mountain he was climbing on exploded, blasting the poor monkey off the mountain and sending him tumbling down to where Victini was standing.

"What the hell?" Misdreavus gasped, arriving with Lopunny.

"Oh yeah, we had some extra mines from the last challenge, so….."

"Well I can't climb anyway so good luck Lopunny!" Misdreavus winked. Lopunny huffed, but began to climb nonetheless.

"Oh and there are more than just mines up there! Watch out for oil slicks, mines, and lasers!"

"What was that last one?" Lopunny called from further up. Victini merely chuckled.

"Oh you'll see."

More and more competitors finished the cannon section, beginning their next part of the challenge. Frogadier and Plusle both began climbing immediately, but others were facing….other issues.

Eevee gave one look at the huge mountain and immediately curled into fetal position, rocking back and forth. Braixen's eyes got wide.

"Yeah….I'm not climbing that."

"Like hell you aren't!" Grumbled Scrafty as he moved next to her. "You aren't quitting now."

"It's called acrophobia. Look into it, asshole." Braixen said as she folded her arms.

"I don't care WHAT it's called!" Scrafty hissed, stamping out his cigarette. "If you actually value this team, you'll put aside your fears for this challenge!"

"Oh stop fightin' ya bogans. You both sound like me parents when they tried to abort me." He spat on his hands, beginning his ascent.

"As obnoxious as his wording was, he had a point." Said Grovyle, shrugging her shoulders. "If she's too afraid to climb, don't argue with her. It won't help, and its about as useless as…."

"AS TITS ON A TAUROS!" Tepig called down.

"That yeah." Grovyle groaned, starting to climb as well. Behind her back, Braixen stuck out her tongue at Scrafty, who simply scoffed and hopped up on a ledge.

Umbreon sighed at Eevee, who gave her an apologetic look. Slowking pulled himself up, using his psychic powers to support him. Minccino did the same with much more struggle, and Lucario jumped from ledge to ledge. Shuckle still hadn't finished the dodgeball section.

But it wasn't easy for the climbing competitors. Explosions triggered all around, succeeding in taking out Plusle. Minccino and Ninjask both didn't have the upper body strength to continue, and dropped down.

Some campers did better than others. Slowking used his psychic powers to sense the positions of certain traps, while Lopunny's sensitive ears served her well.

"Ha! Looks I'm in the lead!" Lopunny crowed. Below her. the Zany Zangoose's groaned. Would they lose AGAIN?

"Uh Lopunny? What the hell are you going on about? You are only in second place…." Victini told her, floating suddenly in front of her, almost lazily.

"How….who could possibly?"

"Gallade. He's almost at the top by now," Said Victini, looking uninterested as he scratched a nail.

Lopunny looked up in horror at Gallade, who was far ahead of her, stabbing the rocks with his blades to get a better grip.

"He didn't stop when the rest of you did. Well, good luck!" Victini waved cheerfully as he teleported away.

"Ugh. Typical." Lopunny moaned.

0000

"No…" Groaned Zorua, staring at the mountain with a pair of binoculars. At this rate, Gallade was going to…..

"We can't afford to lose this one!" Zorua cursed under her breath as she frantically ran to the cannons. Slowly she spun one around, aiming it for the mountain.

She glanced at Sableye, who had an ice pack to his head. "Hey! What would you say would be the right position for hitting for someone high on the mountain? Like say…..Gallade?"

Sableye blinked. "Well given the wind condition, I'd say you should aim it slightly to the left. Why are you asking?"

Zorua shrugged, but smiled cruelly. "Oh, no reason."

"Oh okay," Sableye stated as he walked away.

Zorua rolled her eyes, aiming the cannon. She lit the match and covered her ears as she fired it.

"Nothing like a bit of sabotage to pick you up after being pelted by dodgeballs," She cackled loudly.

0000

Gallade sighed to himself. He was almost at the top. He sensed the challenge would be over soon.

Out of nowhere, a dodgeball struck him in the skull, and he toppled off the mountain.

"Crap! He's unconscious and that's REALLY high up!" Exclaimed Lucario, worried.

"I got him!" Frogadier called, jumping from the wall and catching the knight Pokemon in his arms. He shot a hydro pump on the ground to slow the fall.

Frogadier landed in a roll, completely unharmed. Gallade groaned, rubbing his head.

"Oh my! Are you alright!?" Audino gasped. Gallade nodded dismissively.

"Thank….you," He pointed at Frogadier. The frog shrugged. 

"Eh don't sweat it. It's what I do."

0000

The campers climbed higher and higher, but the higher they were, the more difficult the traps. Umbreon slipped on a strange, slippery substance that Victini must have rubbed on. She swore loudly as she fell. Lasers began shooting in every direction, and the campers moved around desperately to avoid them.

One blasted a hole through Whimsicott hair, and the poor grass type fainted out of fear as she screamed all the way down the mountain, landing on Scrafty and bringing him down with her.

But finally, Lopunny pulled herself to the top of the cliff, where Hariyama was waiting for her.

"Ugh. NOW what!" Lopunny growled in frustration. Hariyama raised his arms defensively.

"Hariyama reminds girl that Hariyama only works here." The chef muttered.

"Whatever. What's the next part of this dumb challenge?" Lopunny asked, annoyed.

"Cave entrance is right in front of us. Take partner and navigate it, yes? Mountain is abandoned mineshaft. Take minecart down to bottom and run for finish."

Lopunny nodded as Lucario finally hopped off the last ledge and onto the top.

"C'mon let's go!" Lopunny grabbed her by the arm and the two jumped in one of the minecarts, moving down the tracks.

Grovyle and Tepig both arrived at the same time. Quickly picking up on what they had to do, they began to descend the mountain as well.

Slowking arrived next, yawning and dusting himself off. "So….what am I supposed to do here?"

"Take a minecart and head down, quick!" Shellder shouted in his ear.

Hariyama folded his arms. "Young Slowking is last Seviper no? You must go by yourself."

Slowking hopped into the minecart surprisingly quickly, using his psychic powers to move it faster.

0000

"Whoa...this place is amazing," muttered Grovyle as she stared at the cavern walls.

"You like caves and patterns and dirt and all that?" Tepig asked. Shooting fire from his nose, he lit some of the torches ahead.

"Yes….I've actually always wanted to become an archeologist." Grovyle said almost wistfully, staring at a strange picture of what seemed to be an Aurorus.

"But….I thought you were into plants and trees and the like?" Tepig arched a brow. They took a turn in the minecart, picking up speech.

"I love ALL nature. Even the parts that aren't with us anymore," She said lowly.

"Nice dream. Y'know what I love?"

"Is it money and w-?"

"It's money and woman. So in my personal opinion, we should get this challenge over with so we aren't eliminated right away."

Grovyle sighed. "Fine." She looked disapointed.

"Hey! Don't be like that, sheila. After this we'll have a right good conversation about rocks or whatever, ya hear?"

Grovyle rolled her eyes, but smiled slightly. "If you insist."

0000

"Hey Lucario? Can you do that aura sensing power you have? It's so dark that I can't see anything."

Lucario rolled her eyes. "It's not that simple, Lopunny. I can't use aura to "see" anything. But if I find some of the other competitors, maybe I can get an idea."

She focused for a moment, closing her eyes. Suddenly, they shot open.

"Tepig and Grovyle! We're closing in on them!"

They shot into a room, one that was lit. Tepig whirled around. "Uh-oh."

Lucario and Lopunny were right behind them. Tepig swore loudly. He and Grovyle wouldn't be able to match their speed in a footrace to the finish.

"Oi! Grovyle! We got a problem!"

Grovyle glanced back, her eyes widening in shock. Lucario charged up an aura sphere.

They soon came to an intersection in the tracks, controlled by a small lever. One set led to a bright light ahead, while the other led to a dead end.

Tepig, thinking quickly, leaned over the side of the minecart, switching the lever just as he and Grovyle passed it. The tracks shifted. Tepig and Grovyle continued towards the bright light, but Lucario and Lopunny were switched to the other side. The two screamed as the tracks led to the edge of a ledge, throwing them and the minecraft off and into the water below….

0000

Hariyama sighed, rubbing his shoulder. He supposed it was time to head for the finish line to witness the end of the challenge. But his thoughts were interrupted by a grunt.

Shuckle finally pulled himself to the top of the mountain, breathing heavily. Hariyama stared at him in surprise.

"You are still in….? The others are so far ahead!"

"I noticed!" Shuckle gasped. "Are there any minecarts left?"

"No….young Slowking took the last." 

"Welp, I guess I'd better walk down it by myself," Shuckle shrugged, slowly moving down into the cave.

"Are you….sure you do not want to….give up?" Hariyama asked incredulously.

"I can't. I have to do whatever I can to avoid getting eliminated. And hey, slow and steady wins the race, right?" Shuckle sighed, moving very slowly down into the depths of the cave….

0000

Slowking focused his powers on speeding the minecart along. The tracks were quite erratic and twisting, meaning that there was no clear path. But thanks to Shellder's help and his psychic powers, he managed to navigate it somewhat easily. A smile formed on his face when he saw the bright light that meant the exit to the cave was near. But his smile was wiped off when he noticed another Minecart quickly catching up on another track.

Tepig tipped his fedora. "G'day Mate. Time to end this race."

Grovyle fired a bullet seed from her mouth, but Slowking used his psychic powers to redirect it. Frowning, he focused powers on the cave ceiling, sending a huge chunk of rock flying down.

"TEPIG WATCH OUT!" Grovyle shouted as she and Tepig tried to dive out of the minecart just as the rocks collided, sending dust and debris everywhere. Slowking shot off and far ahead, smirking as he left his competitors in his dust.

0000

Grovyle coughed on the ground, brushing herself off. "That was a dirty trick, right Tep-Tepig!"

The fire pig Pokemon groaned, his feet under the rubble. "I'm not getting out any time soon. You have to win this one."

"I can't just leave you here," Grovyle muttered hesitating.

"Oh I'll be fine. Just a scratch, really. But I don't want to lose this and be voted off, got it?"

"All right, all right," Grovyle sighed, sprinting off as fast as her feet could carry her.

 **0000**

" **Tepig….isn't such a bad guy actually," Muttered Grovyle. "He'll deny this, but when the rocks fell down on us, he pushed me out of the way." She giggled. "He's just a big softie."**

 **0000**

Slowking jumped off his minecart, running as fast he could (which wasn't very fast). Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Grovyle sprinting at a much higher speed, quickly overtaking him.

"Sorry, but I'm here to win," She taunted as she scanned in front of her. There was the finish line! Just a little closer…..

"I'm not finished yet," Slowking said as he stopped moving. He snapped his fingers, and the area surrounding him and Grovyle was now distorted and changed color. Slowking moved at speeds much faster than before.

"Welcome to the trick room. In this relm, the slower you are, the faster you become." Grovyle tried to run, but was struggling to even move. Slowking quickly ran past her, getting closer and closer to the finish.

The Striking Sevipers cheered at the sight of Slowking approaching. Minccino groaned.

Munchlax looked at Plusle. "I've been trying to say something for a while now….but I can never seem to get the message across. Do you-"

Bidoof suddenly crammed in between them cheering. "You got this Shuckle! Wooohoo!"

"God dammit…..wait. Shuckle?"

Slowking glanced behind him Something moved at incredible speed, faster than the eye could see. It shot out of the cave entrance, passing Grovyle, and then Slowking, who had almost arrived at the finish line.

Shuckle shot through, slamming into Hariyama and knocking him over.

"And Shuckle wins in an astonishing play!...Again," Victini cheered. "Which means that the Zany Zangoose win!"

"Of course…." Said Minccino in realization. "Slowking may be slow, but Shuckle is even slower! The trick room!"

The Sevipers glared at Slowking, who laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry."

Plusle and Bidoof carried Shuckle on their back, the rest of the team swarming around them.

"And that means….." Victini chuckled. "That you Sevipers have to pick someone to vote off. Have fun!"

The Seviper's stalked off, groaning and cursing Victini.

 **0000**

" **This one's gonna be rough," muttered Ampharos. "A LOT of us screwed up today."**

 **0000**

"Attention team!" Parasect clicked his claws impatiently. "Thanks to our stunning performance, I, the great Parasect, have built us a hot tub."

"That was me," Called Sableye lifting a hand.

"Regardless!" Parasect hissed. "I understand...I can be a tad…."

"OCD?" Asked Minccino.

"Control freak?" Asked Munchlax.

"A sociopath?" Tepig asked, grinning.

"I was going to say suppressing!" Parasect snarled. "So just….relax okay?"

The Zangooses cheered, making their way to the hot tub. Munchlax seemed to want to say something to Plusle, but changed his mind, sighing.

"Hey Parasect? Can we um, invite Pokemon from the other team?"

Parasect arched a brow.

"Like say….a ghost type that really likes pranks, is like...two feet tall. Name is rhymes with Mischievous?"

"No."

"C'mon man please?" Sableye pleaded.

"No."

"If I say please again, will you let me?"

"Maybe."

"Really?"

"No."

"Awww…."

Grovyle sighed. The team may have won, but it wasn't thanks to her. She really wasn't feeling up to partying at this time.

"Oi! Grovyle!"

She spun around, staring at Tepig, who gave her his signature grin.

"I think I owe ya a conversation about rocks?"

Grovyle smiled. "If you're that desperate to talk to someone."

0000

There was a tense feeling in the air for the Striking Sevipers. For the first time, no one felt safe.

"You guys seem to be the superior team, but after a clutch move from SHUCKLE of all people, you've lost."

"Just get on with it!" Snapped Charizard.

 **0000**

" **I vote Slowking. He really dropped the ball this time," Said Bulbasaur shortly.**

 **0000**

"The first Poffin goes to….Lucario."

Lucario breathed a sigh of relief, snatching the treat in her hands.

"Ampharos...Zorua...and Whimsicott…"

The three moved up, though Ampharos tripped and fell on a disgruntled Zorua.

"Infernape….Donphan…..Charizard."

Charizard breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness they weren't holding his lack of skill that challenge against him.

"Lopunny, Eevee, Audino and…..Misdreavus. You guys are safe."

Gliscor shuddered nervously, and while Slowking was snoozing, Shellder's eyes darted back and forth. Bulbasaur looked terrified, and Carbink looked irritated.

"You guys all racked up some votes. Bulbasaur and Carbink, you guys aren't the most useful around. Slowking is down here for the umpteenth time, and Gliscor? You seem to have gone from a dodging menace to a pain magnet."

There was a short pause, before Victini announced the next names. "Carbink and Bulbasaur, you guys are safe for another round."

Gliscor and Shellder stared at one another, anticipating the loser.

"Who will it be? Will Slowking's lucky streak finally end? Or will Gliscor's UNLUCKY streak continue? The final Poffin...goes to….."

Gliscor squeezed his eyes shut, as Slowking woke up with a snort.

"Slowking."

As Slowking caught the poffin with his mind, Gliscor sighed, looking down.

"I'll go get my things."

 **0000**

" **This has been coming on for a while now dude," Infernape said with a shrug. "I don't know what happened, but you've lost all the skills you once had. No hard feelings."**

 **0000**

" **Losing my brightpowder really screwed me over," Muttered Gliscor. "Who would I pick to win? I don't know….Ninjask has always been pretty funny. I guess I'll have to find another. Man, this bites."**

 **0000**

The Zany Zangooses cheered as they partied in the hot tub. Though they had some issues when Plusle had shocked the water, they were having a good time.

"I'd like to call a toast to Shuckle, who won the challenge and never gave up!" Shouted Plusle.

"To Shuckle!"

"Aww...come on guys, you'll make me blush," Shuckle replied sheepishly.

Scrafty cracked his back, slowly moving out of the hot tub. Bidoof gave him a strange look. "Where are you going?"

"Just have to….deliver something before I turn in. Don't worry about it."

0000

Gliscor sighed as he leaned back. "Well...I guess it'll be nice to see my friends again."

He tried to get comfortable, but winced as he sat on something. When he got up to see what it was, he looked shock.

There was his brightpowder, and attached to it was a note.

 _No hard feelings!_

 _-Scrafty_

0000

AND THAT'S THE END. Whew, these have been getting harder and harder to write.

Gliscor goes home, because gimmicks can't last too long. Sorry buddy! 

Fun Fact: Gliscor is based off of a Gliscor I used for fun once. It had the ability sand veil, which raises evasiveness in a sandstorm. I gave it the brightpowder, and he had a 35% chance to avoid all normally 100% accuracy attacks.

Until next time peeps!


	9. Chapter 9: Truth Or Dare

Time for a new Chapter! This one might be a long one, but who knows! 

Um….so there are a couple of iffy topic in this one. I'm not gonna raise the T rating, because I think you guys can handle it.

0000

Munchlax, Bidoof, and Shuckle were playing monopoly. Shuckle was winning by far, and he had his bucket on his head.

"AHAHAHA! ALL YOUR HOMES AND BUSINESSES WILL BE MINE! I, THE GREAT SHUCKLE, WILL BE SO ICONIC THAT NO ONE FORGET MY NAME. MY FACE WILL BE PORTRAYED ON DOLLAR COINS. BUCKETS WILL BE WORN AS DRESS CODE EVERY DAY OF THE WEEK. TODAY MONOPOLY…. TOMORROW, CLUE."

Bidoof sighed unhappily. He was about as wealthy in this game as he was in real life; dirt poor.

"Hey dude...it could be worse. What if PARASECT was playing with us?" Munchlax said.

"Fair point," muttered Bidoof.

"Uh actually guys…. there was something I wanted to ask you…." Munchlax said hesitantly.

"What is it?" Shuckle asked, returning to normal. His expression was curious.

"Well...uh…There's something I wanted to tell Plusle and... I'm struggling to find the words."

Shuckle started, understanding immediately. Bidoof looked perplexed.

"Wait, I don' get it. Tell her what?"

Shuckle coughed. "Well...maybe do it in a way that can help you explain it without words. Maybe instead of saying it, you can explain how you feel in a way where you are the most comfortable."

Munchlax thoughtful. "Hmm...Hey I think I have an idea! I know Bidoof plays a mean banjo….do you play anything Shuckle?"

Shuckle smiled wryly. "I can barely walk, Munchlax. What ELSE would I do?"

Munchlax pounded a fist to his hand. "Alright! Let's start a boy band!"

Shuckle and Bidoof slowly turned to look at each other. "That's kind of…. uh….AN AMAZING IDEA!" The two high fived.

"Woohoo!" Cheered Bidoof. "But seriously what are ya gonna say to Plusle? I don' get it."

 **0000**

 **Munchlax rubbed his arm. "I've been trying to talk to Plusle for ages now, but every time I try BIDOOF ALWAYS BUTTS IN. Seriously man, you're great and all, but you have a horrible sense of timing."**

 **0000**

 **Eevee smiled. "Umbreon is a lot nicer than she looks. I hope she wins if I'm eliminated."**

 **0000**

" **Why am I helping out Eevee?" Umbreon questioned to herself. " I'm not sure myself. But despite what I said earlier, Eevee reminds me a bit of myself when I was younger."**

 **0000**

Audino strolled around the forest, somewhat bored. With Eevee training so much with Umbreon as of late, she found herself with little to do.

"You look conflicted."

Scrafty stepped out, holding a lit cigarette. Audino was surprised for a moment, but got over it quickly.

"Oh hi Scrafty! I didn't realize anyone else was up!"

"Eh…. I saw Tepig and Grovyle slipping in the trees. And Donphan is perfecting his rollout on an open field."

"You seem to be very aware of what's going on. I think that's very admirable."

Scrafty arched a brow. "What do you want, money?"

"No of course not! I was merely giving you a compliment."

"I don't get a lot of those where I'm from," Said Scrafty folding his arms. "And where I'm from, you have to be aware. If you aren't, you'll get stabbed in the back. I learned a lot of being self-sufficient on the streets."

"Oh!" Responded Audino, surprised and saddened. "I'm very sorry to hear that. I feel awful for even bringing it up."

"It's fine. I don't really mind. But it's people like me who really could use the money in this competition. It'd sure be nice."

"Well…. I think you have a shot!" Said Audino quickly. "You are a good teammate after all. Perhaps you'd like to join me for some breakfast? I was just planning on going now."

"Nah. I'm not in the mood for food poisoning right now. Be seeing ya I guess." He waved dismissively as he trudged in the other direction.

"Of course! Maybe next time!" Audino called after him.

 **0000**

" **Speaking to Audino is strange," muttered Scrafty. "She makes me want to hug someone and hurl at the same time."**

 **0000**

"I miss Gliscor," Ampharos said sadly as he sat with Donphan. Because of his static ability and general clumsiness, Donphan was probably his only friend on the show.

"I do as well. He was a good teammate. He was a true knight!" Donphan lifted a kitchen knife in a trunk, hopping up on the table and brandishing it like a sword.

"Donphan please," Ampharos moaned. Donphan immediately jumped down.

"Sorry."

Ampharos sighed. "He was one of the only ones in our team who even got close to me. This static ability sucks."

"If I might ask, why is it so out of control?" Donphan asked lightly.

"I just evolved before the show, so I'm still getting it under control. No one can even really touch me at this point without getting shocked."

"I can help with that!"

Donphan and Ampharos shouted in fear at the voice, which happened to be Whimsicott.

"Oh…. Sorry Whimsicott. You just have this…. lack of presence-,"

"Yeah, I got the memo," she huffed. "But forget about that. Ampharos, I can help you with your static problem."

"Really?" Asked Ampharos, so excited that several sparks flew. Whimsicott flinched.

"Jeez calm down. I have this move called worry seed, and it will negate your ability." She focused for a moment, and a green aura outline Ampharos.

"Whoa...cool!" Ampharos cried happily, hugging Whimsicott.

"Woohoo! I can hug people without paralyzing them!"

"That's all well and good…" gasped Whimsicott. "But don't suffocate them either!"

 **0000**

 **Whimsicott floats in the confessional. "Something doesn't feel right to me. Like, I can't put my finger on it…. but something feels wrong with Gliscor's elimination. No one can switch from being that skilled to incompetent that quickly. I'm going to look into this…"**

 **0000**

Most of the competitors were in the kitchen, eating. But there was one exception.

Carbink was concentrating. His strategic move to eliminate Haxorus was brilliant, and he had to lie low for a while when everyone was scrambling around to find the idol culprit, but now it was dying out. Most of the fake idols had been found. It was the perfect time for another move.

But first, he needed to eliminate Whimsicott. It was the only way he could get his (metaphorical) hands on the idol, and the opportunity was too good to miss.

Still though…. he was curious. Whimsicott must have some sort of dirt on Scrafty, which intrigued him. Personally, he'd rather work with Whimsicott to get Scrafty eliminated, but the damn hoodlum was clever. He still had possession of the idol, so a vote against him would be worthless.

Carbink smirked cruelly. Still though, he always had a plan. Soon the idol would be in his possession, and both Scrafty and Whimsicott would be eliminated.

"Time to show them how ruthless I can be."

0000

The campers arrived at a quiet spot, where there were many podiums and boxes. Several other objects were there, covered by thick white sheets.

Victini waved at the campers. "Welcome one and all, to your next challenge. I can see you are all bright eyed and bushy tailed for…. the….IS TEPIG DRUNK?"

The fire pig swooned, being supported by a livid Minccino and Frogadier.

"I'm not drunk. YOU'RE DRUNK!" Tepig slurred, pointing at Victini.

"All he's been drinking is Moomoo milk," deadpanned Minccino. "He got drunk off it, I don't know HOW!"

Victini laughed nervously. "Well why don't you just...hide him behind yourselfs. Keep him away from the cameras."

"I'm not pissed; I just want more milk! Oi, women can make milk right?"

Minccino's eyes twitched, and let go of Tepig, where he crashed to the ground with a groan.

"Oops. You fell."

"So…. when is this damn challenge starting anyway?" Charizard snapped.

"Glad you asked! This challenge will be entertaining guys!" Victini said with a joyful smile.

Charizard grumbled. He and Victini had VERY different definitions of what entertaining meant.

"Just tell us the damn thing. Don't be such a drama queen," he growled.

"Someone's cranky this morning," Victini said as he rolled his eyes. "But whatever. This challenge is TRUTH OR DARE!"

Everyone looked at each other.

"... What is this, 4th grade?" Asked Ninjask snidely.

"Ninjask."

"What's next, seven minutes in heaven?"

"Ninjask."

"I mean seriously, I guess this is better than the challenges you've just ripped off of Mew, but-,"

"NINJASK. SHUT UP!" Victini roared, his fur smoldering.

Ninjask just sighed, rolling his eyes.

 **0000**

" **DAMN!" Carbink shouted. "I can't risk being forced to reveal my true nature. It sucks, but it seems I can ONLY do dares."**

 **0000**

" **This challenge will be an interesting," said Scrafty, cracking his hand. "We'll certainly find out some interesting info about everyone...but that's not all. By listening to the ones who pick dare, we learn about the ones with things to hide."**

 **0000**

 **Ampharos scratched his head. "Is Carbink okay? He's been very reserved and quiet since Haxorus left. He doesn't even hang out with me anymore. He seemed nice before…. but now he's just a lot colder. Is Haxorus' departure affecting him that much?"**

 **0000**

"A-anyway…." Victini spoke, trying to regain composure. "The rules are simple. I have fifty truth or dare questions here, and it'll be played by the typical rules. If you do the dare or own up to the truth, you win a point. The team with the highest amount of points win!"

"Wonderful," muttered Ninjask, as the competitors each went to their respective podiums. This put the Seviper's and Zangoose on opposite sides.

"So we're gonna start with Pokemon from fastest to slowest. Ninjask, you're up first!"

"YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!" Raged Ninjask, flying over. Victini giggled.

"Now which will you pick, Ninjask? Truth or DARE!"

"There's no way I'm doing a dare with a psycho like you coming up with them. I pick truth."

Victini's grin grew wide. "I was hoping you'd say that. NOW PREPARE TO BE HUMILIATED BY THIS FIRST QUESTION!" Cackling, he pulled out a card.

"Out of everyone here, who do you hate the most?" Victini gaped. "What."

Hmmm…. This is a tough one…" Said Ninjask, acting like he was making an extremely difficult decision, which was ruined by the huge smirk he had on his face.

"Just say it, asshole," growled Victini.

"If you insist…. I guess it has to be Victini," Ninjask said, shrugging.

Victini slapped a hand to his face. "FINE. ZANGOOSE GET A POINT."

Parasect chuckled darkly. "Excellent. The strategy for this challenge is obvious. Everyone just ask truth and own up to everything. You will not face physical pain in any way."

"Yeah...but do YOU want to spill your secrets on National Television?" Asked Scrafty smartly.

"It doesn't matter if I win!

Charizard, on the other hand, stood up and said through gritted teeth: "You all have the right to remain silent, anything you say can be held against you…"

"What are you, a cop?" Asked Bulbasaur. Charizard groaned, showing them his badge.

"Woooow!" Most of the competitors (save for a few of the more mature campes) stared excitedly.

"THAT IS SO COOL!" Frogadier gushed. Charizard gnashed his teeth.

"Yeah, yeah I know. Can we move on now?"

"Sure thing, Charizard!" Victini said cheerily. "Infernape, you're second fastest, so why you go next?"

"Alright!" Infernape said excitedly as he jumped off the podium, landing in a fighting stance. "I pick dare!"

"If you insist," said Victini, pressing a button on a remote. A trapdoor opened under Infernape's feet, and he fell with a shout.

"Your dare is to make it back up here by yourself! Good luck!" 

For a while there was silence; almost five minutes. Then a fist burst out of the ground, and Infernape burst through a hole.

"Yeeehaw! That was easy!"

 **0000**

" **What did I do?" Asked Infernape. "I just kept punching my way out. Here's a lesson to remember kids. Punching can solve EVERY problem."**

 **0000**

Infernape wins a point, therefore tying with the other team! Lopunny, you are very quick as well. You are up!"

Lopunny walked up, a bit apprehensively. "Dare…. I suppose?"

Victini shoved a plate under her nose. "Eat THIS in under a minute."

She stared at the plate in shock. It was a Slowpoke tail.

"WHAT THE!?" Slowking woke from his doze, growing pale.

Lopunny shook her head rapidly. "No way! I'm out!"

Munchlax shrugged. "I don't know why you guys are making so much of a big deal. Slowpoke tails are a delicious delicacy. "

"Munchlax!" Plusle hissed.

"UH I mean disgusting and morally grey. Yep. Totally what I meant."

Victini rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Hmm…. who should I pick next…. I guess it has to be Lucario. No one else is faster than her so…."

"HEY! What about me!?" Shouted Whimsicott.

"Oh yeah! Whimsicott, I totally forgot about you. You're next."

She floated over. "I'll go with truth."

"Good! He looked at the next card. OHOHOHO! This is a good one."

"What….is it?" Asked Whimsicott apprehensively.

"Which competitor here did you have a "fun dream" about in the last few episodes."

Nearly everyone laughed, and Whimsicott turned bright red, swearing loudly under her breath and floating back."

Victini wiped a tear from his eye. "Lucario, come up."

The Aura Pokemon walked up apprehensively. "Dare."

"Alrighty then. For your dare, you need to do a headstand for five minutes! While me and Hariyama throw rocks."

Lucario shrugged. "Sounds easy enough."

She balanced on her head perfectly, focused and eyes closed. Victini throw several rocks, but she managed to withstand the pain and stay concentrated for several minutes.

"Hey Hariyama, why don't you try?" 

"Very well." Hariyama raised a fist, shattering a boulder easily. He threw a fragment of the boulder with such surprising power and speed, that it knocked the wind out of Lucario, and she fell to her side.

"Oooh nice try Lucario. But it wasn't enough to win you the point. Plusle, come on out."

Both Plusle and Lopunny sprinted down, helping Lucario to her feet.

 **0000**

 **Lucario looked nauseous. "Hariyama…. threw stomach...out of whack. Nerves…. tickling…." She keeled over, puking on the floor.**

 **0000**

"Walk it off, girl," said Lopunny, slowly walking the poor Jackal to her podium. Plusle on the other hand, looked nervously at Victini.

"Um…. I pick truth?"

"Ooh finally. Alright Plusle, tell us about what happens when you are...tired."

Plusle's eyes shot open in shock. How had he found out about THAT!?

"I-I…."

Parasect's eyes gleamed. "Own up Plusle! We cannot lose this point! We promise not to laugh!"

Plusle sighed. "All right. I'm a night owl, but I need my beauty sleep. If I wake up too early I um…. get violent."

"How violent are we talking?" Chuckled Munchlax nervously.

Victini grinned pressing the button on the remote. A video screen was shown, revealing a tape recording.

0000

It was early morning in a peaceful town. A house was shown, and slowly a light went on.

Suddenly, a Minun screamed, running out the door as fast as she could. With a roar, Plusle burst out of a window. She picked up a deck chair, throwing it.

0000

All of the campers stared at the normally cheerful Pokemon's antics, while Plusle slouched over to her seat.

"Wasn't…. expecting that!" Exclaimed Audino. Some of the Zangoose were slowly backing away from her. Munchlax gave her a pitying look, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Plusle owns up! Grovyle, why don't you come up here next?"

Grovyle nodded quickly. Might as well get this over with, right?

"I'll go dare."

"Very well. Your challenge….is to cut down this tree," gesturing to one behind him.

"I'm not doing it," Grovyle growled.

Parasect threw up his claws. "YOU WILL OR YOU'LL RISK BEING VOTED OFF!"

Grovyle shook her head. "I said no. That tree is a living BEING, and I'm not killing it for a stupid point. This tree deserves to live just as much as we do and- WHY IS IT ON FIRE!?"

Braixen gasped, shaking her stick. "I'm sorry! It was an accident!"

Grovyle screamed, tackling the fox. Victini flew in front of the camera. "COMMERCIAL BREAK! COMMERCIAL BREAK!

0000

"RAAH! I'll kill you! I swear I'm going to kill you!"

"JEEZ GROVYLE, calm down!"

"Braixen, watch out, you're burning down everything you touch!"

"Hey guys I found something to put out the fire!"

"OI! Get your hands off me milk!"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

Victini looked livid. "That's it! Now we don't have enough time to do all fifty questions. We can only do TWENTY MORE!"

The campers looked down, ashamed. Then what Victini told them sunk in and began cheering.

"Oh you think that's a good thing?" Victini asked mockingly. "Well guess what? From now on I pick truth or Dare for you. You no longer get that choice!"

The cheering stopped immediately.

 **0000**

" **If we lose, either Braixen or Grovyle are going home for sure," said Scrafty.**

 **0000**

"Now that Grovyle has been medicat-Uh SUBDUED, some campers won't have to go, but some of you will have to go more than once! Infernape! You're dare is to climb up Mt. Victory in ten minutes or less."

Infernape looked like Christmas was coming early. "Really?"

"Time is ticking Infernape."

"Wooohoooo!" The Monkey shout in happiness, shooting off like a bullet.

"Alright…. well while's gone, Sableye is up next with truth," said Victini, pulling out a timer.

"Hit me with it," chattered Sableye.

"Oho! This one'll bring some tension! Sableye…. who do you think the prettiest girl on the island is?"

The Seviper's all groaned as one.

"How is that fair? His GIRLFRIEND is here," hissed Zorua. Misdreavus cackled.

"L-Lopunny," squeaked Sableye.

Misdreavus stopped laughing immediately. Her eyes turned an evil crimson shade.

"What. Did. You. Just. Say?"

"UmthatIthinkLopunnyisreallyprettylookbased,butIloveyourpersonalityalotmoreeventhoughIstillthinkyouarereallyprettyandIreallydon'twantyoutohitme."

He gasped, taking a huge breath. He quivered. "Please don't hurt me."

Misdreavus' eye twitched. "Victini…. you know those drugs you used to calm down Grovyle?"

Victini gave her an apprehensive look. "Yeah…. why?"

"Out of curiosity, how much would you need to hypothetically kill someone?"

Lopunny nervously backed away from her.

Victini rolled his eyes. "Whatever, just come up Bulbasaur, you're next with truth."

Bulbasaur, who had been trying to stay hidden, sighed. He stepped out.

"How do you feel about your lifestyle, and your dad's business?"

Bulbasaur looked around shiftily, before speaking. "Uh…. it's great. I have a very happy life, and my dad's business is honest...and…."

"Ooooh! Not opening up, are ya?" Victini wagged his finger in an annoying fashion. "You don't get a point, but maybe Zorua will…. she's next with truth once more."

Zorua grumbled in annoyance. "Whatever."

"So... Zorua...what exactly do you know about Gallade's injury last challenge?"

Gallade turned, fixing a gaze at Zorua with his one eye. Zorua bit her lip. Crap!

"I know nothing! I left after I was eliminated in the dodgeball challenge. I didn't even know he WAS injured."

"Oh yeah…that was when Umbreon BODIED you…." said Ninjask with a chuckle. Some of the others laughed, while Umbreon merely shrugged.

But one competitor bit her lip, as if she was steeling her nerves.

"I object," came a small voice. Everybody heard it, turning to Eevee. But Eevee simply shook her head rapidly, pointing to Minccino.

The Chinchilla had hopped off her podium.

"I object to that statement." She spoke, with more assurance in her tone.

Zorua raised an eyebrow. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean I object to the statement that you don't have any knowledge on it. I think you're lying."

Zorua was taken aback, but nonetheless responded sharply. "What are you trying to imply? Why would I even TRY to injure him?"

"Because he would have won for sure. I don't believe that it's a coincidence for a second. Despite your claim, Victini has stated that you know _something_ about Gallade's injury, and he's found FAR more hidden secrets thus far. And because of that, you're the prime suspect."

Even Slowking was wide awake, staring at Minccino in awe.

Zorua, to her credit, responded quickly. "This is Tauros shit! I don't even KNOW how to fire a cannon!"

Minccino smirked. "Objection! I never said anything about cannons. You contradicted yourself! If you claim you've never known about what happen to Gallade, how could it be that you know the weapon used?"

Zorua's eye twitched, before she laughed coldly. "But you know what you don't have? Solid evidence. You can't accuse me without proof to back up your claims!"

Hariyama leaned next to Victini. "Victini realizes he could just say that Zorua didn't own up, yes?"

Victini snickered. "Yeah, but this way is more fun."

Minccino nodded. "Fair point. Which is why I'd like to summon our first witness. Sableye?"

The gem eater waved. "Uh hi!"

"Now Sableye…. did you happen to see Zorua around the time of Gallade's injury?" Minccino asked.

Sableye thought for a moment. "Hey! I did! She was asking for coordinates and the wind direction to fire a cannon. But she said it was only Hypo-Oooooh!"

Minccino turned to Zorua with a triumphant expression. "There you have it, Zorua. Because of this eyewitness account, as well as the previous information, I accuse you of firing that cannon at Gallade to take him out of the challenge!"

The campers all stared at Minccino in shock. Tepig dropped a bottle of Moomoo milk on the ground, where it shattered.

Zorua was at a complete loss for words. And slowly the campers shook out of their surprise. The Zangoose looked horrified and indignant, while the Seviper's looked conflicted.

"That was awful, Zorua! You could have hurt Gallade really badly!" Exclaimed Plusle.

"Yeah!" Both Bidoof and Munchlax said at the same time.

Infernape arrived by then, looking over at the livid Zangeese. "What the hell did I miss?"

 **0000**

" **That stupid Minccino BITCH!" Zorua roared. "I'm not finished yet! She's going DOWN!"**

 **0000**

" **GETTTTTTT DUNKED ON!" Whooped Ninjask.**

 **0000**

As the campers calmed down, Ampharos questioned to Minccino-

"How did you even DO that? Are you a lawyer?"

Minccino looked down. Now that she was done, she felt embarrassed. "Um...just law school. I'm studying to be a prosecutor actually."

"Why didn't you tell us this earlier?" Asked Scrafty suspiciously.

"I don't know…. I'm pretty self-conscious about it. I get embarrassed pretty easy."

As she sat down, Tepig gave her an impressed look.

"I am AROUSED right now."

Minccino blushed furiously, but a small smile formed on her face. "Shut up!"

Victini coughed. "Well after that...rather impressive display from Minccino…. we have uh….Ampharos with a dare. You need to kiss the person next to you."

Ampharos turned to one side, seeing Misdreavus one side. Her eyes glowed red again.

"Don't even think about it!"

Ampharos sighed, looking to the other side. Slowking was giving him a weirded outlook. "Um…."

Ampharos sighed. "Well Slowking…. we need this point."

The two awkwardly leaned forward. At the last moment, Slowking grabbed Shelder and yanked him off his head.

"Owww hey what are you-MMPH!"

"And…. The Seviper's get a POINT!" Victini said in complete shock. "Damn…. didn't think you'd actually…. wow."

 **0000**

 **Ampharos his brushing his teeth profusely. "Urgh, he tasted like seafood."**

 **0000**

 **Shelder blushed in the confessional. "uh...heh heh, wow Ampharos, that was…. wow."**

 **0000**

Victini looked down the list. "Alright, Munchlax with truth! Oh geeze …..this one isn't going to be fun for ya, dude."

"W-what is it?" Asked Munchlax nervously.

"What….is your favorite type of pornography?" 

Munchlax jaw hit the ground. Everyone looked like they were trying to stifle their laughs.

Munchlax stuttered. "I-I don't-"

"It's hentai." Said Shuckle, raising a limb.

"DUDE!"

"I'm sorry!" Shuckle said, cringing. "I just saw it on your phone when I was checking the time….and it was like a car crash. You just can't NOT look at it."

Munchlax's eyes went wide. "Dude…. how much did you see? D-id you see the-"

"Yeah," Shuckle nodded.

Munchlax moaned, slamming his head against the table. "Why me?"

The others couldn't help it any longer. They began to laugh hysterically. Some of the girls looked a little disgusted.

Victini wiped a tear from his face. "Ha ha…. Lucario, you're up too with ANOTHER truth!"

Lucario sighed. She supposed she could redeem her last failure.

"Alright Lucario! Tell us all about your boyfriend! What's he like? His personality? How maaaany bases?"

Lucario blushed, cursing under her breath. Was he serious?

"Huh wait, you have a girlfriend?" Asked Braixen, looking moderately surprised.

Lucario sighed. "Is it that hard to believe that I'm not single?"

Braixen shook her head. "No…. no... that's not what I meant. Just, I could have sworn you weren't...you know...into uh…."

"We thought you were a bloody carpet muncher!" Tepig shouted.

Lucario cocked her head to the side. "What does that mean?"

Slowking cleared his throat. "It means lesbian."

Lucario clenched a fist. "What? No I'm not! Why would you think that?"

Tepig rolled his eyes. "Oh c'mon Sheila. You're into like...fighting. You don't like shopping or gossiping and all that. Oh, and you're closest with Lopunny, the hottest jill in the entire bloody island."

Lucario growled. "I am NOT a lesbian. I have a boyfriend!"

"What's his name, Susan?"

Lucario snarled, charging up an aura sphere. Tepig leaned back, at ease.

"Someone's a bit defensive, aren't they?"

"Lucario, please calm down!" Said Audino desperately. "It's not worth it! He's drunk!"

Lucario took a deep breath, calming down. "My apologies. But I am not into girls, and no heckling will change that."

Tepig shrugged. "Eh, ya could be into both. Experiments are important, so quick, kiss Lopunny. I'll "observe", to decide whether there is any attraction."

Minccino slapped him in the face. Lucario smiled.

"Thanks Minccino, if you didn't do it, I would have!"

"It's what I do."

Lopunny gave Lucario a curious look. "You know…. we COULD-"

"NO."

Victini checked his watch. "Well Lucario, you didn't explain anything, so you didn't get a point. Too bad! Tepig is next with a dare!"

Victini suddenly ducked to avoid the milk bottle that was thrown at him.

Tepig slowly staggered to Victini, swaying a bit. "Alright, let's get this over with."

"Fight against Ursaring and win!"

A cage opened, and Ursaring ran out, roaring. Tepig looked a bit dazed.

"Can I get another milk first-OOPH!"

The Ursaring punched Tepig in the stomach, sending him bowling over.

"Tepig, get up quickly!" Shouted Shuckle. "You can do this!"

"Break his nose, Ursaring!" yelled Lucario.

Tepig swayed as he slowly rose, taking out another bottle of moomoo milk. Ursaring lunged, but Tepig simply gestured him to stop for a moment, opening his milk bottle and chugging it down.

"Want any?"

Ursaring clenched his fist. "No. We're in the middle of a fight!"

"And I'm out of milk, so if you don't mind-"

Ursaring swung down a claw, but Tepig managed to catch it.

He swung down the empty bottle, shattering it over Ursaring's head. The bear fell over, unconscious.

"And Tepig wins another point! Carbink, you're up with a dare!"

Carbink sighed in relief. He didn't want Victini to blow his cover.

"Your dare is…. defeat a horde of Scyther!"

Carbink gasped. "WHAT!?"

Seven Scyther leapt out, aiming their blades at Carbink, who gulped nervously. How the hell was he supposed to pull this off? 

One of them aimed a slice, and Carbink managed to avoid it, flying to the side. He spun, shooting a stone edge rapidly. One connected with a Scyther, bringing it down, but most deflected them with their blades.

A Scyther sprinted forward, kicking Carbink and sending him spinning towards the others.

The Scythers took turns trading blows, slashing across Carbink's rocky body. They knocked him to the ground, clinking their blades together.

The Seviper's all groaned as one, but Carbink narrowed his eyes. He began to glow in a harsh light. The Scyther's looked confused, but managed a look of shocked understanding when Carbink exploded, blasting the Scyther away and knocking them unconscious immediately.

Victini floated up from the rock he was hiding from. "Well...despite being knocked out himself, the Scyther ARE technically defeated. So... Carbink gets the point! Uh...Hariyama? Can you take him to the infirmary?"

"Hariyama got it."

He grabbed the moaning Carbink, hefting him over his shoulder.

"Minccino, you're up with a truth!"

Minccino huffed "Alright, alright."

"Which Pokemon here….do you have a crush on?"

Whatever Minccino was expecting, it was not this. She bit her lip.

"I…."

Zorua fought a desire to laugh maniacally. How did SHE like it?

The other campers looked uncomfortable. Tepig, however, looked quite interested.

"Um…. Minccino? It's kind of obvious…" Said Plusle awkwardly.

Minccino scowled at her. "I know who you are implying. And I'm not-"

Bidoof raised a hand. "Uh...I reckon it ain't just an implication. It's 'bout confirmed by now."

"Hey…. that's not-"

"Seriously, you two are my OTP," Munchlax stated.

"OTP?" Donphan asked, scratching his head with his trunk.

"It means one true pairing," Ampharos stated.

Minccino's eye twitched. "All right fine! I admit it okay! I like him!"

Victini snapped a finger. "You are gonna have to be a bit more specific,"

Minccino blushed furiously. Scrafty rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, all you have to say is why you like him and he'll leave you alone."

"Yeah…. Parasect isn't even THAT bad. All you have to do is admit it, and you'll feel better about yourself," cheered Plusle. The other members of team eviolite agreed, nodding their heads.

Minccino glanced up at them. "Wait…. what!?"

Parasect clicked his claws. "Yes...after all, I am very great. Who wouldn't want to date me?" This earned some snickers from the rest of his team.

Minccino gave them a weird look. "What the hell? I don't like Parasect, I like Tepig, morons!"

Minccino, realizing what she said, covered her paws over her eyes and made an "eep!" sound, not unlike Eevee.

Everybody froze in shock. Tepig did a spit take on the milk he was drinking, spraying Umbreon, who gave him a death stare in return.

"Uh…. wow. Wasn't expecting that!" Munchlax gasped. Bidoof said with surprise-

"I reckon we we're wrong all along then."

"Then again, who would ever want to date Parasect?" Ninjask stated, "he's almost as bad as Victini…" This comment earned him a hiss from Parasect and a growl from Victini.

Tepig laughed hysterically. "OH THIS IS JUST RICH! I was jokin' about the "you want me" act, but I didn't think you actually DID!? I wish this beauty got recorded." His eyes went wide with realization.

"Oh wait….IT IS!"

Minccino trembled angrily. "I'm going to hurt him. I am going to beat him, and I don't know when I'm going to stop!"

Victini snapped his fingers. "That's enough! We already had Grovyle...drugged, we don't need another. Minccino owned up, so she gets a point."

Minccino relaxed. "You're right. I'm sorry." But when she went to her podium, a clear look of defeat and pain was in her eyes. Plusle put her arm around her comfortingly.

"Ok…moving on…" Victini stated, "Donphan, it's your turn." Donphan looked up, giving him a confident look.

"Donphan, since Minccino had truth, you're up with a dare. This one is simple. Inside the shower room, there's a small token that looks like me hidden in one of the toilets. You must find it and bring it back here. You have thirty minutes to do this. Also, some of our interns somehow managed to get food poisoning and hogged up the toilets all of last night. Have fun!" As he said that, Donphan gave everyone a look of horror.

"If I must go…so be it," Donphan said as he shakily made his way to the bathrooms.

 **0000**

" **I feel bad for Donphan," Sableye stated. "I would rather DIE than go digging through those toilets. Plus, I uh…. made a "coprolite" this morning."**

 **0000**

"While Donphan is exploring the wonderful world of the bathrooms, let us move on. Gallade, you're up with a truth." Victini said. Though he didn't look it, Gallade was actually a bit nervous.

 **0000**

" **If it was up to me, I would've taken a dare in a heartbeat," Gallade stated. "A truth is far more dangerous than a dare, especially in this type of game."**

 **0000**

"Ok, so your question is, what was the most influential event of your life?" While the others gave the host blank stares, Gallade knew what the host meant.

"The time I lost my eye," Gallade stated.

"Wait…that eyepatch isn't for show?"

Lopunny asked. Gallade nodded in response.

"You're going to have to expand on that" Victini stated.

"I lost this eye to an enemy who ended up losing something more important. Unfortunately, he's still alive," Gallade stated, his voice turning into venom, startling everyone There.

"Ok…time for the next challenge…. Swampert!"

 **0000**

" **Well that took a dark turn," Swampert said cautiously. "It seems like Gallade has been through a lot. He has taken a dark path, and I hope he has not passed the line in which he cannot come back."**

 **0000**

"Swampert, your dare is to walk into a Combee hive with honey on your arms."

"Very well," Said Swampert good naturedly. He followed Hariyama, (who had returned from the infirmary, to a distant tree. Victini coughed.

"Misdreavus, you're next."

Misdreavus floated forward, looking slightly amused.

Victini held up the card. "So…. Misdreavus….what is the real reason you prank people?"

Misdreavus gave him a confused look. "I think you might have the wrong question, Victini. Maybe check the card again?"

Victini arched a brow. "The hell are you talking about? I just read the card!" He glanced down, but then gaped in surprise. The previous dare was gone, and the writing now said:

 _Your ass must get jealous of all the shit that comes out of your mouth._

Victini snarled. "How did you even DO THAT!"

Misdreavus began cackling loudly. "HEHEHEHE! THAT'S THE REASON! TO SEE BITCHES LIKE YOU SUFFER!"

"No. That does NOT count!" Seethed Victini. "NEXT IS EEVEE!"

Eevee looked like a nervous wreck. To her credit, she managed to walk off the podium, but she was trembling horribly. Before Victini could even tell the truth or dare, Eevee collapsed.

Victini slapped a hand to his face. "Hariyama? You'd better get her to the infirmary as well…"

Hariyama grunted, slinging Eevee over his shoulders and walking off once more. At the same time, both Donphan and Swampert arrived.

"Eew...what's that stench!?" grumbled Ampharos, pinching his nose when Donphan threw the token at Victini's feet.

"The quest...has been completed!" Ninjask gave one look at Victini's face on the token, then began howling with laughter.

"You put the token with YOUR FACE in the communal? It's like you WANTED to walk into that joke!"

Victini shot a blast of fire from his fingertip, narrowly missing Ninjask's head. It shot a hole clean through the podium. Ninjask yelped in surprise.

"That's what happens when you TEST me! Next up is Umbreon with a truth!"

Umbreon gave Victini a sharp look. "No."

"But-"

"No."

"FINE! Next is…. Tepig! You have a dare! You must jump into an ocean of Sharpedo covered in shark bait."

Tepig tipped his hat. "Alright. Easy."

"Wait Tepig! You're a fire type!" Braixen hissed.

Tepig shrugged. "Water doesn't bother me as much as most fire types. Me Ol' man used to dunk me in every morning to get used to it."

He walked behind Hariyama, who was beginning to grow annoyed with his constant trips.

"Braixen is next…. what hidden talent or hobby do you have that you avoid speaking about?"

Braixen muttered a swear, looking down. Minccino snapped.

"Oh come on! I GUARANTEE it's nothing compared to most of our truths."

"Fine! I like baking! It's a good way to set things on fire without violence."

"PLEASE BAKE FOR ME!" Munchlax squealed. "I can't stand anymore of Hariyama's cooking!" Braixen shoved him to the side.

The campers shrugged. Frogadier smiled. "Eh…. it's not really anything to be embarrassed about. I mean, poor Munchlax-"

"Yes we get it, can we not talk about it!" Munchlax said violently.

Victini coughed. "NEXT CHALLENGE IS…. Tepig. Again. Great."

Tepig eventually arrived, tossing away an unconscious Sharpedo. "Finished."

"Tepig you're up with another dare!" Victini said, somewhat annoyed. "You need to withstand a Conkeldurr slamming on your toes with its concrete."

A Conkeldurr walked up to the pig, an apologetic expression on his face. "Conkeldurr is sorry about this."

He slammed his concrete down on Tepig's feet. Tepig twitched, but his cocky smirk didn't waver. "Pssh, it tickles."

 **0000**

 **Tepig is hopping around on one foot, clutching his foot and cursing loudly. The censors quickly began sounding.**

 **0000**

"Older brother! Hariyama did not know you were coming!" Hariyama pulled Conkeldurr in a tight hug. The campers looked a little uncomfortable.

 **0000**

 **Ampharos shuddered. "You mean there are TWO of these psychos?"**

 **0000**

"Now that the family reunion is over, it's time for the next challenge! Next camper is...WHAT THE HELL! TEPIG! AGAIN!? WITH ANOTHER DARE!?"

Tepig cracked his neck. "Bring it."

"Ugh fine. Your next challenge is to drink ten gallons of any liquid."

"Already did it, mate."

"Eh?"

"Already did it." Tepig gestured around him, showing Victini the countless bottles of milk around him.

"Fair point….so Tepig wins ANOTHER point! Now I swear to Arceus, this better NOT be a…. God dammit it's Tepig again. RRRRRGGH! YOU'VE GOT TO BE SHITTING ME!"

Tepig raised a hand. "Uh…. Victini….? Can I go use the loo first?"

"NO!" Victini practically screamed. "THAT'S your dare! YOU CAN'T GO TO THE BATHROOM FOR THE REST OF THE CHALLENGE!"

"If you insist"

Victini sighed, flinching as he looked at the next card. His shoulders sagged, relieved. "Whew…. glad that's over. Frogadier, you have a truth!"

Frogadier looked up, his expression guarded.

"What is the REAL reason you help everyone here. What is the origin of this?"

Frogadier smiled. "That's not a secret Victini. The way I see it, being allowed to compete was a sign. I got really lucky, so I figure I'll pay it back by helping others. If I win, I want to DESERVE to win."

Victini sniffed. "Well it's a bit boring, but true nonetheless. Seviper's get a POINT! Now we only have one question left, and that goes to-"

He immediately went pale, then suddenly a bright shade of red.

"GOD DAMMIT! WHY! WHO'S DOING THIS!"

Misdreavus began to laugh hysterically. Victini gave her a menacing look.

"You. This is YOUR fault!"

Misdreavus looked affronted. "Hey that's not fair! Ninjask helped out too!"

Ninjask joined her in laughter. Victini clenched a fist, but regained control.

"I'm disappointed in you Ninjask, relying on cheap pranks to annoy me?"

Ninjask snorted. "I'm disappointed in you Victini, arguing with people half your age?"

Victini made a tortured sound, before turning to Tepig. "At least it's a truth this time. Now Tepig, why do you act the way you do? Why do you act the way you do? Why so cocky? Why so demeaning?"

Tepig tilted his hat down sighing. "You want to know why? It's because of my inner insecurity. Everything…. everything is fake, including the accent. I treat everyone the way I do because it makes me feel better about my own failures. When I was little, my oldies abused me a lot. Made me feel like utter rubbish."

He looked down, silent. The others looked conflicted. Tepig began to tremble.

But it was not crying, it was laughter.

"AHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T SAY THAT WITH A STRAIGHT FACE! I'M COCKY BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY I BLOODY AM, IT'S SIMPLE AS THAT!" The other campers groaned in annoyance.

Victini slapped a hand to his face. "Ugh…. he wasn't lying. That IS how he feels. So the Zangoose get a point! And that's the game guys, time to find out who won!"

He looked over the list nodding. "The score is….:

Zany Zangoose- 14

Striking Sevipers- 6

"AND WITH MORE THEN DOUBLE THE SEVIPER'S HAD, THE ZANY ZANGOOSE WIN! MAJOR PROPS GO TO Tepig, who COMPLETED EVERY TRUTH OR DARE CHALLENGE HE GOT!" He turned to the very depressed Sevipers. "Rough time, guys. You'd better think of someone to vote out."

 **0000**

" **This was-" Started Lucario.**

 **0000**

" **The MOST-" continued Ampharos.**

 **0000**

" **Embarrassing experience-" continued Minccino.**

 **0000**

" **Of my life," finished Munchlax with a sigh.**

 **0000**

" **I think I have a Sharpedo tooth up my ass," muttered Tepig, twisting around to check.**

 **0000**

Scrafty whistled to himself as he took a walk in the woods by himself, a vague thought to find the actual idol in his mind.

High above him, Whimsicott stared as she slowly floated after him. Her lack of presence was certainly helping her.

"What are you doing?"

Whimsicott whirled around in surprise. Carbink was casually floating next to her.

"Oh...Carbink! Um…... hi!" Whimsicott waved nervously. Damn! Caught red handed!

"Why are you stalking Scrafty like that?" Asked Carbink suspiciously.

"Look...can you keep a secret?" Pleaded Whimsicott.

Carbink raised an eyebrow. "That depends. What did you do?"

"It's not what I did. It's what I think Scrafty did. I think he weakened Gliscor during the king of the hill challenge."

Carbink gasped. "Really?"

"I believe. In the early part, Gliscor performed fantastically well...until Scrafty hit him. It was very deliberate, and he was defeated almost immediately after. And since then he only got worse." Whimsicott listed.

Carbink looked conflicted. "I mean...it makes sense but…... I'm surprised someone would even DO that!"

"This game changes people, Carbink. It twists them with greed and lust. And Scrafty apparently isn't a law abiding sort to begin with."

"I-I guess….."

Whimsicott looked at him with anticipation. "Look…. all we need to do is eliminate this guy. Will you work with me?" 

Carbink's eyes shifted, clearly trying to make a difficult decision. "Okay. But I don't want him to find out about this."

Whimsicott smiled. "Thank you! He won't, I promise!"

 **0000**

 **Carbink winked in the confessional. "Greed and lust? Oh Whimsicott, you have NO idea…..** **"**

 **0000**

Some of the girls sat around near a lake, looking at Minccino slouching over by herself.

Lopunny folded her arms. "One of us HAS to talk to her. Who's good at this sort of thing?"

Braixen threw up her hands. "I don't want to get involved in this."

Misdreavus shook her head wildly. "Even I'm not that crazy."

Umbreon snorted. "I don't really care." She stalked off.

Audino raised a hand. "I'll do it!"

Grovyle shook her head. "Let me do it. It should be done by someone on our team."

"Really? You don't seem like a touchy feely girl to me," Said Braixen skeptically.

"How so?"

"You tried to strangle me and had to be medicated."

"Whatever! I know what to talk about in this situation."

She walked cautiously over to Minccino. The Chinchilla sat on the edge of the lake, her feet submerged underwater. She was sniffling.

Grovyle sat down next to her. "Are you okay?"

"Just dandy," muttered Minccino bitterly.

"Why was it so difficult to admit? Tepig isn't that bad of a guy." Grovyle spoke very cautiously, for she did not want Minccino to get defensive.

"I know. It isn't about him. Not really. If I had a crush on Parasect, it would be just as difficult to admit. It was just opening myself up like that in general. It's difficult to admit something to others that you can't admit to yourself."

Grovyle nodded.

Minccino stared at the water spitefully. "This challenge was sick. Forcing Pokemon to reveal their identities and thoughts. And I didn't even have it the worst. I can't even imagine how Plusle and Munchlax must feel."

Grovyle nodded once more. "Yes, Victini's an asshole. But there must be more to it. Why do you like Tepig anyway? He hasn't exactly treated you well."

Minccino sighed. "Tepig is arrogant, cocky, self-serving, obnoxious, labeling, narrow minded-"

"Minccino…"

"BUT…. he's also the only...real friend I have," said Minccino. "I'm uptight, and bossy….and that keeps people away. Not to mention I'm going to be a prosecutor, which pretty much means my job will be to prove that someone's evil. I've never been well liked, Grovyle. But Tepig…. sure he mocks me, but at least he's not intimidated or disgusted! But at the same time…. well I'm a prosecutor. It's my job to see only the bad."

She was nearly sobbing at this point, but Grovyle managed to handle it.

"Shh...Minccino it's okay. And you have friends. We're all here for you."

Minccino rolled her eyes. "I heard what you were saying, I have sensitive ears. None of them would even come near me."

Grovyle bit her lip, choosing her words carefully. "People got nervous because you can tend to be a bit…. aggressive. You were in a vulnerable state, and that's often when people lash out. But I WILL say is that they were all concerned and worried about you. We care, Minccino."

Minccino nodded slowly. "Okay. Th-thank you Grovyle, for listening to my insane ramblings." She got up.

Grovyle laid back, relaxing in the cool breeze. "No problem. And Minccino?"

Minccino looked back.

"I might have a contradiction for your evidence that Tepig is a bad person. Back in that mineshaft, Tepig knocked me out of the way of those boulders. He might have even saved my life. I rest my case."

Minccino smiled mischievously. "I might have to "examine" the accused a bit more and rethink my statement."

She walked away from the lake, considerably happier then when she arrived.

 **0000**

 **Grovyle shuddered. "Ugh! Braixen was right. Talking about Pokemon emotions sucks. Why can't we just all be trees?"**

 **0000**

"So our candidates are Zorua, Bulbasaur, Lucario, Whimsicott, Misdreavus, Lopunny, and Eevee."

Charizard, Frogadier, Ampharos, Slowking, Donphan, and Infernape were sitting in the cafeteria. The campfire ceremony would be on in about a half an hour, and they had decided that the campers who had gotten points should decide to eliminate.

"Well…. Lucario failed BOTH of her challenges. She deserves to get booted for that," pointed out Ampharos.

"Yes...but Lucario is in general exceptional in challenges," replied Charizard. "Some of the others….? Not so much."

"Bulbasaur, Whimsicott, and Eevee are among the weakest. I'd include Carbink, but he did his dare; rather impressively I might add." Donphan added.

Frogadier shrugged. "Eh, I'd take Bulbasaur off that list. His connection to his father can be still of some use to us."

Infernape grinned excitedly. "Whimsicott or Eevee then? That's simple enough."

"If I might?"

The others looked surprised to find that it was Slowking who had spoken. He had spent the meeting up to this point napping.

"Uh…. of course Slowking, what do you suggest?" Asked Charizard, humoring him.

Slowking looked around the room thoughtfully. "I suggest Misdreavus."

"Well…." Ampharos laughed nervously. "She's not the best...but she's certainly not the worst."

"That isn't what I meant," said Slowking quietly. "Misdreavus is much more interested in her pranks and tricks then the wellbeing of the team. She didn't answer her own question, and then made it so Tepig got nearly every question after. This certainly helped us lose, in fact I'd call it sabotage."

"That...is a very good point, Slowking…." Donphan said, impressed. The other's nodded.

Charizard raised a hand. "All in favor of voting off Misdreavus?"

"WAIT!"

Carbink had flown into the room, breathing heavily. "Don't vote for Misdreavus, we have a traitor!"

"What!?" Charizard snapped.

Carbink nodded his head frantically. "It's true. I have reason to believe that Whimsicott is plotting against us!"

"Do you have facts to back it up?" Asked Frogadier.

"Sort of…. firstly, during the King of the Hill challenge. Gliscor did very well in the first part, but something caused him to falter. He quickly lost to Gallade, and from then on kept getting weaker and weaker. Whimsicott had been fighting alongside him when he lost his incredible dodging ability. She would the only one who could have possibly do anything without being spotted. If a Zangoose did it, it would have surely been seen!"

"I fail to see how this proves Whimsicott to be a traitor," Charizard said scathingly.

Carbink's eyes widened. "But that's not it. There's a plausible explanation for how she did it too. You see, Gliscor has the ability sand stream, which gives him the ability to dodge almost anything! But Whimsicott has this move-worry seed. It completely negates Gliscor's ability, meaning that it explains why Gliscor had the ability to dodge!" ` `

The rest of the Pokemon looked around at each other. It made sense, but….

"Can anyone verify that Whimsicott carries this move?" Asked Charizard.

Ampharos felt as though he had been hit in the stomach. "I can, Charizard. Whimsicott used worry seed on me, so I wouldn't hurt anyone with static."

Before anyone could react to this, the loudspeaker sounded, "STRIKING SEVIPERS! MEET ME IN THE CAMPFIRE CEREMONY! YOUR CHALLENGE BEGINS IN FIVE!"

Charizard huffed. "There's no time to make a unanimous decision. You make a good point, Carbink. Let's leave it to fate to decide whether Misdreavus or Whimsicott will be going home."

 **0000**

 **Infernape thought for a moment. "Whimsicott…"**

 **0000**

 **Ampharos shrugged. "A traitor or not, Whimsicott still helped me. I vote Misdreavus."**

 **0000**

 **Misdreavus hissed. "Lopunny."**

 **0000**

"YOU GUYS GOT WRECKED THIS CHALLENGE!" Victini laughed. "But who got wrecked the most? Time for another camper to go."

There was a strange feel at the campfire ceremony. The apprehension was still present, but there was also an air of anticipation.

"First Poffin goes to Donphan! Infernape and Ampharos, you are safe as well."

None of the three were very surprised, expecting to be called quickly. Infernape high fived Ampharos.

"Frogadier, Audino, and Charizard, get on up here!" Charizard nodded to himself, while Audino gave Eevee a nervous look.

"And…. congrats Slowking! You aren't on the chopping block for once! Carbink. Come up as well!"

Shelder caught the Poffin thrown, chomping it down. Slowking looked mildly annoyed.

"Hey!"

Victini looked at the remaining campers with a cruel grin. Misdreavus was glaring daggers at Lopunny, who was sitting as far away from the ghost as possible. Bulbasaur exchanged a glance with a terrified Eevee. Lucario clutched her stomach, moaning. Whimsicott twirled her hair, anxious, and Zorua gnashed her teeth.

"You guys didn't complete your challenges or truths! And one of you might be going home because of it. But it isn't Bulbasaur, Eevee, or Lucario…..so good job guys."

Lucario let out a huge sigh of relief. THAT one was close. But she gave Lopunny a nervous look.

"The rest of you all got votes this evening. But since Lopunny only got one, she's safe."

Lopunny rolled her eyes. "I wonder who THAT was."

Victini coughed. "Zorua...you got quite a few votes, after what Minccino revealed about you. But apparently your team is giving you a chance. You're safe."

Zorua caught her Poffin. "You guys are VERY LUCKY!"

"No... you are. Isn't that how it works?" Asked Slowking passively.

Misdreavus and Whimsicott looked at each other. One of them was going home.

"Misdreavus...you're here because you put pranks in front of your team. Whimsicott, it seems like some rumors are flying around."

Whimsicott eyes widened. Rumors?

"The final Poffin…. goes to…."

Sableye gave Misdreavus a panicked look from the stands. Whimsicott squeezed her eyes shut.

"... Misdreavus."

Misdreavus sighed in relief, catching the Poffin in her mouth. Sableye dove down, wrapping her in a tight hug.

Whimsicott groaned, disappointment clear on her face. "Alright, I'm going. But what rumors were flying around about me?"

"That's classified," Charizard growled. "You'll know EXACTLY what we're talking about when you rewatch the episode."

Whimsicott flipped him off. "Whatever, I'm out of here."

 **0000**

 **Whimsicott groaned. "It sucks that I got out before I could figure out Scrafty, but oh well. At least I passed the message off to Carbink.**

 **If he he wins, I'm happy. Ampharos too, I suppose. Well, I guess I should go find out the reason I was eliminated."**

 **0000**

 **Carbink chuckled darkly. "Too easy. Time to claim my prize!"**

 **0000**

 **Bidoof looked confused. "Wait, did the campfire ceremony happen or not? They say it did, but no one seems to be missin'...Did no one get voted off?"**

 **0000**

Plusle stood off by herself, feeling embarrassed. She had hoped that no one would EVER find out about her early morning issues. And now all of National TV knew.

She chided herself. She shouldn't be upset. Munchlax had to reveal what type of PORNOGRAPHY he liked. He must be MORTIFIED.

"Uh….h-hey Plusle."

Plusle turned. Munchlax was standing a few feet away. He seemed to be steeling his nerves.

Plusle smiled. He was probably humiliated, so she had to be supportive.

"Hey Munchlax…. are you alright?"

"I'm fine. There's been something I've wanted to tell you for a while now, but….I couldn't find the words. It was also because Bidoof kept interrupting me but…."

Plusle cocked her head. "Munchlax...are you okay? You're sweating. If this is too difficult for you I understand, but…"

"No! No. I need to do this. I'm just gonna in a way that I'm most comfortable. With the power of SONG! Bidoof, throw me a microphone!"

Bidoof rolled Shuckle forward with his wagon, Sableye walking behind him. Each of them had an instrument. Bidoof carried his banjo, Sableye had a base guitar, and Shuckle had a drum set in his wagon.

Bidoof threw a microphone to Munchlax, who caught it in his hand. Shuckle gave Sableye a strange look.

"What are you doing here? And how do you even plug in that guitar?"

Sableye cackled. "I'm your lead singer! And this runs on gem power, baby!"

Shuckle sighed. "Sure, why not?"

Munchlax cleared his throat. "Plusle...this song is for you…."

Plusle looked completely overwhelmed. "Munchlax, I don't understand…"

((Author's Note: So... this is the first instance of songs in this story. If you've read Dark Amphithere's Total Pokemon World Tour, (which you should because it's better than this crap), you'll understand how this format works. If you don't well...the songs will be in script format, and when a character is singing, the words will be italicized. FOR EXAMPLE:

Braixen: _THIS FOREST'S ON FIREEEEEEEEEEEEE!_ (Sung)

Grovyle: I'M GONNA BREAK YOUR ARM! (Spoken)

Got it? Then here we go! Also this is the first song I've ever tried to write from scratch, so this MIGHT suck. If it does…. I'M SORRY!

This one starts slow, but quickly becomes fast paced. It becomes rock and roll, if you can imagine it in your head. Sorry for the interruption!))

Munchlax: _I know I'm chubby….and not very smart. But I have a lot of soul, and I have a lot of heart. And I know...I'm not in your league…. but I hope to you, I'm more than just a colleague…_

 _Because I really really really like you!"_

Shuckle: one, two, three, four! (Shuckle, Bidoof, and Sableye begin playing their instruments.)

Munchlax (picking up speed): _I know that I'm not very fast, but I feel like we could last. Your very quick, and I usually just slip, but with you at my side I'd work really hard. I know I'm not that cool…._

 _But I really really really like you!_

Shuckle, Bidoof, and Sableye: _Likes you!_

Bidoof: Wait a minute...

Munchlax: _I know I'm not very strong, but these feelings just can't be wrong. You're good at everything you do, and I struggle just to keep up with you….._

 _But I really really really like you!_

Shuckle and Sableye: Likes you!

Munchlax: _When I'm with you, I feel like I matter. All my fears and worries, they just shatter. You deserve better I'm sure….and I know I'm just a bore…._

 _But I really-_

Bidoof: Hold yer Horseas!

Shuckle: Bidoof, what the hell are you doing?

Bidoof: This is a LOVE confession, ain't it?

Munchlax: Um...yeah dude, but your kinda killing the moment. And I was on a roll and everything….

Bidoof: Well sorry, little bear, but I can' help with you anymore.

Munchlax: What...? Why!?

Bidoof: Cuz I got somethin' to confess too! 

Munchlax: BIDOOF WHAT THE HELL-

Bidoof, strumming his banjo: _I know ain't purty, and I'm as poor as dirt…. but even though I'm just a little squirt…_

 _I really really really have a hankerin' for you._

Munchlax: Oh you gotta be kidding me.

Plusle: Bidoof, you too?

Shuckle (looking at Sableye): This is not gonna end well, is it?

Sableye: Nope.

Munchlax roared, tackling Bidoof, causing them to roll around. Plusle gasped.

"Guys, stop it!" She fired a thunderbolt, electrocuting Bidoof and Munchlax.

The two moaned in pain, but jumped back up to their feet.

"You can't do that Bidoof, I did it first!" Shouted Munchlax.

"Well I thought it first!" Bidoof shot back.

"That is complete bullshit! Why didn't you say anything until the rehearsals?"

"Because I hadn't realized it 'til now!"

"How in Hell-"

"BOYS!" Plusle shouted, pleading. "Calm down. I'll think about it okay? But no more fighting!"

She walked off. Bidoof and Munchlax stared after her, before whirling to glare at each other.

"She's gon' pick me!" Bidoof exclaimed, walking in one direction.

"You wish," Munchlax muttered darkly, walking in the other.

Shuckle and Sableye looked at each other. "So….um."

"Yeah…."

Shuckle looked thoughtful. "Want to place bets on who she picks?"

"Hell yeah!"

0000

Long after Bidoof and Munchlax's fight, Zorua paced the empty campground. She held back a desire to scream. Thanks to Minccino, the jig was up. She had to think of something, and quick.

Soon, she thought she heard something. Voices. Using her stealth, she crept up to where she heard them.

Her eyes widened when she saw Carbink, talking to someone. She couldn't tell who that person was, for they were hidden in the shadows.

Carbink spoke in a low mutter, but Zorua caught his voice. "I got Whimsicott eliminated, so I want what's mine."

The other voice responded, though it was so muffled Zorua couldn't recognize it.

"Good. Nice work, Carbink. The idol is all yours. Be seeing you."

Carbink floated off, a triumphant expression on his face. Zorua watched, and a cold smile formed.

Three people were awake, and three people smiled cruelly.

All three had won something that night. And all three knew EXACTLY what they would do next.

0000

HOLY HELL THAT WAS LONG! But fun, you know? I am genuinely pleased by this chapter.

Whimsicott is out, sadly. She wasn't bad, but Carbink managed to screw her over.

Geez I might need a bit of a break after that last one. I'll let DT handle most of the next one.

RRR GUYS!

Whimsicott: REVIEW! What? I've been here the whole time!


	10. Chapter 10: Fear Factor!

I We're back with another chapter! I got a lot of good feedback from the last one, so hopefully this one will be able to hold up! Oh but first-

Guest- Sorry if you're offended! Tepig does NOT reflect my reviews of an Australian, and he's merely a stereotype! Seriously, I know Australians aren't ACTUALLY like this- it's just meant as a joke! I mean, hey Bidoof is a Redneck American stereotype. I'm American! And uh…. thanks for continuing to read even despite my ignorance, ha ha!

So…. this is the fear factor challenge that EVERY TD fanfic/parody has to have. There might be some uh…. dark stuff as well as some funny stuff. Maybe? I don't know how it will be, because I haven't written it yet as of this introduction! XD. But if you get afraid easily, this MIGHT not be the chapter for you!

Well, let's get started!

0000

It was early morning on Total Pokkemon island. Team Eviolite and a few other campers were in the game shack, a room that Victini had opened as a reward for the competitors that had survived thus far. The room had many board games, a ping pong table, and a pool table.

Slowking and Shuckle had even found a dusty old TV and a video game console, and now Team Eviolite were playing _Super Smash bros: Melee_ intensely.

While Shuckle normally dominated the board games, Munchlax and Bidoof were fighting with such a frenzy that he was knocked out in the first two minutes. Munchlax knew the game pretty well, and Bidoof, despite never owning a video game console in his life, had adapted extremely well.

"You're going down! Feel the wrath of my falcon punch!"

"That ain't gonna happen! Ye'll soon fall asleep to m' sing attack!" Bidoof countered with a whoop.

"Why is Mewtwo so bad in this game….?" Muttered Shuckle crossly. "And seriously…. you two have been fighting like this for the past week! You shouldn't let a girl come in between your friendship."

"But she's not any girl…. she's Plusle…." Mumbled Munchlax dreamily. Bidoof nodded vigorously. "She's th' greatest thing since deep fried butter!"

"Well...I think she's greater!

"No, I do!"

Shuckle rolled his eyes. Meanwhile, Slowking was playing Swampert in chess.

"You are truly excellent at this game, Slowking. You've come a long way from a Slowpoke," Swampert said serenely. Slowking smiled slightly.

"Why…. thank you, Swampert. But I must say it is mostly due to Shelder's help. He has helped me exponentially since I've evolved."

"Did…. Slowking become British?" Shuckle whispered to Sableye, who was playing solitaire.

"Though Swampert…. I'm surprised that a game like chess holds your interest. You were always more of a physical person."

Swampert moved a Knight, knocking out Slowking's rook. "I've found that chess isn't so different than fighting. The strategy and brainwork remains the same…. you just have more time to make a decision."

"Well, at least I don't live in a barn!" Munchlax shouted at Bidoof.

"Well, at least I'm not three hundred pounds' overweight!"

"GUYS!" Shuckle called. "Why don't you just go down and ask right now? It's better than all this fighting!"

Munchlax paled. "Uh...no dude. It's 8:30. You want to wake her up right now?"

Shuckle gulped. "Good point."

0000

Carbink signed as he doodled inside a notebook. Though it was close, he managed to get rid of Whimsicott. Right now, he was making a list of possible threats.

"Ok… so the biggest physical threats are Charizard, Infernape, Swampert, Gallade, Lucario and Lopunny" Carbink stated, looking up. Even though he was deep inside the forest, he was still afraid of the possibility of someone eavesdropping. Seeing that no one was around, he continued talking. "Intellectually, Sableye and Slowking easily take the cake. Scrafty and Minccino are also pretty clever. While Parasect is smart, he's in hot water with almost everyone on his team, making him a huge target."

Unknown to him, a certain hoodlum Pokemon was watching him from inside a bush.

 **0000**

" **A quick lesson on scheming, NEVER speak out loud, even if you think you're alone." Scrafty said, reaching into his box of cigarettes. However, the box was empty, causing him to sigh.**

 **0000**

" **Though I was able to identify major threats, some Pokemon here can be considered a wild card," Carbink stated. "You can never know what's going through their mind. Take Gallade for example. While he is normally calm and collected, he seemed ready to snap when having to confess during last challenge."**

 **0000**

Audio came across Scrafty, who was heading off in the opposite direction.

"Oh hi Scrafty! Where are you off too?"

Scrafty stretched. "Off to get my cigs, left some in my cabin."

Audino wrinkled her nose. "I really wish you wouldn't smoke so much, Scrafty. It's so unhealthy."

Scrafty shrugged. "Eh, I'll quit when I win. What's up with you, doll?"

Audino smiled brightly. "I'm off to see Umbreon and Eevee's next training session. Eevee's become a lot stronger, and-"

"I wouldn't trust Umbreon if I were you," said Scrafty thoughtfully.

"Pardon?"

"Just saying, Umbreon isn't exactly Ms. Social. She hardly even talks to OUR team. Why would she go out of her way to help one of YOURS?"

Audino bit her lip. "Well….."

Scrafty waved an arm dismissively. "I could be wrong of course. Just something to look into, eh?"

He walked off at that, leaving a conflicted Audino alone.

 **0000**

 **Scrafty leaned back. "Do I think that what I said to Audino is true? Well in all honesty, it doesn't even matter. My guess is that at least one of them will be out before the merge. Eevee is far too frail, and Umbreon is far too reclusive. But hey. Tension is always nice."**

 **0000**

Eevee slumped over, exhausted. Umbreon sat down next to her.

"You want to take a break?"

Eevee gasped. "Yeah…."

Umbreon smiled slightly. "You're improving, make no mistake. We might want to start looking for a stone to evolve you."

Eevee nodded, but was distracted by a question that came to her suddenly. Steeling her nerves, she asked it.

"Umbreon, you always seem so irritated and depressed…."

"How observant of you," responded Umbreon dryly.

"Well….to evolve to Umbreon, you need to be very happy right? You must have been very happy for a while. What happened?"

Umbreon's red eye fixed on her. "Eevee, do me a favor. Shut up."

"O-okay," Eevee said quickly.

0000

The mess hall was packed with reluctant campers, and there was a clear tension in the air. Everyone had heard about the love triangle between Bidoof, Plusle, and Munchlax, and the camp was divided into two teams: Team Munchlax, or Team Bidoof.

Plusle was stabbing her pancakes with her fork. Hariyama's pancakes surprisingly weren't bad, and were much easier to keep down. But despite this, Plusle had eaten very little.

Shuckle gave her a look of pity. "You know sooner or later you're gonna have to make a decision, right? These two look like they'll rip each other apart."

Plusle shivered. "I know….but I don't want to pick one, and break the other's heart. I feel like there is no way to make everyone happy with this."

"Well, why not make the decision that makes YOU the happiest?"

Plusle looked down wistfully. At the same time, Ampharos slumped down on the table, supported by Donphan. His face went into the table, and he muttered under his breath.

"So…...tired…."

When some of the Seviper's gave him a questioning look, it was Donphan who replied.

"It turned out that Whimsicott's worry seed gave Ampharos insomnia. He wasn't able to sleep all night. And to make matters worse….."

Ampharos sparked with electricity, and a few campers leapt backwards in apprehension.

"...Static's back."

"Well I hope that doesn't cripple you too much!" Cheered Victini, walking into the cafeteria. "Because we have a challenge today!"

"WHAT! But we just had a challenge yesterday!" Braixen protested. "An embarrassing one at that. Can't you give us like...three days to recover?"

Victini pretended to think for a moment. "Ummm…...NOPE! And this challenge is a toughie! You guys are gonna-Hariyama, lights!"

"Lights are off!"

The room became dark. A flashlight turned on, under Victini's face.

"Be facing your biggest fears!"

Ninjask rolled his eyes. "Well it was gonna happen eventually!"

The campers shrugged, agreeing.

Victini hissed. "C'mon guys, at least ACT scared! You are killing it for me!"

There were a few that didn't seem indifferent. Sableye coughed on the orange juice he was drinking. Charizard paled, and Umbreon groaned. This would be embarrassing.

"Well whatever! We'll see you scared in time! For the Seviper's I need Donphan and Audino! For the Zangeese, Minccino and Braixen! Hariyama will take Bulbasaur and Lopunny for the Seviper's, and Sableye and Ninjask for the Zangeese. You guys will face your worst NIGHTMARES! The rest of you can chill….or watch I guess! Some of these are REALLY funny!"

 **0000**

" **Pfffft," snorted Misdreavus. "I don't HAVE a fear. And if I did, it would be way more terrifying than the Mew reject could come up with."**

 **0000**

" **This won't be so hard!" Cheered Infernape. "Nothing can terrify me more than Hariyama's cooking!"**

 **0000**

"Alright Donphan, you are up first! Are you ready?"

Donphan scoffed. "Of course I am! No fear is enough to trump my prestigious skill!"

Victini looked at his list. "All right...your fear is…. the days waiting for a callback that will never happen!"

Donphan cocked his head. "Well...how can you even do that? What callback could you possibly….?"

"QUICK, ACT THIS!" Victini shouted, throwing a script at Donphan.

"To be, or not to be-that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep-" Donphan broke into character immediately.

"That was great, Donphan! Now it's time to wait for your callback!" Victini cheered.

"Oh." Donphan said, realizing. Then he slumped down.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhh."

Victini turned to Braixen. "While Donphan's….waiting, we'll have you go next!"

Braixen shrugged. "May as well get it over with, I suppose."

Victini grabbed Braixen's shoulder, teleporting to the base of Mt. Victory.

"You fear TWO things Braixen! Water and heights. So your challenge is to climb to the top, WHILE our interns dump water on you from above."

Braixen shuddered. "A-all…..Alright…."

Victini snickered. "Oh yeah and they are REALLY motivated. We promised we'd give whoever hit you an actual bed to sleep on!"

Braixen rolled her eyes, but looked terrified. After a few minutes of hesitation, she began to climb; slowly and carefully. She was making decent progress too, until a water balloon was thrown by a Bunnelby intern.

 **0000**

 **Braixen smiled. "I think the fear challenge was a good idea. I feel really proud of myself for challenging my fear."**

 **0000**

"GET ME OFF OF THIS THING!" Braixen screamed, clutching onto a rock like it was her lifeline.

Tepig snickered, and Minccino slapped him with her tail, annoyed. Victini flew up, teleporting Braixen back down the mountain, where she was hyperventilating.

Victini sighed. "Well….she failed. Audino, you're up next! Your fear is…...fighting. Which is pretty lame considering...you know, WE'RE POKEMON AND ALL! But I digress. You'll be fighting…..Swampert! If you land a hit on Swampert, you win!"

Audino bit her lip, but nodded. Swampert calmly bowed.

"Go!" Victini cheered, whistling.

Audino ran forwards. She closed her eyes as she slapped at Swampert, who side stepped it easily. Swampert had a concerned look on his face.

"You clearly do not wish to fight. This is nothing to be ashamed of….I believe your team would forgive you. No one would think any less of you if you backed out."

Audino's eyes shot open. "I'm sorry, Swampert, but I do not have a choice!"

She aimed a strike, but Swampert deflected it with his arm. Audino tried to swing a sloppy kick, but Swampert caught her leg. With a grunt he spun Audino by the leg, sending her tumbling to the ground. She tried to rise, but Swampert slammed a fist on the ground cautiously, creating a small earthquake that sent Audino back down, where she was too weak to rise.

Swampert helped her to her feet. "My apologies."

Audino shook her head. "No! Of course it's fine! You did not hurt me too badly."

Victini snickered. "Well...it looks like Audino failed as well. And judging Donphan's moodiness, he'll be out too. You guys REALLY need to do some work. Minccino, let's see if you can win the next point for your team!"

Minccino took a deep breath. "All right."

l

"Your fear is…..dirt and general uncleanliness." Tepig snorted.

Minccino's eyes narrowed into slits. "You can't prove that! You'd need proper evidence to make a claim like tha-"

Tepig spat on his hand, holding it out to her. Minccino screamed, jumping twenty feet backwards.

"I rest my case," Victini snorted. "Your challenge will be to roll around in the mud for five minutes, and you can't shower for the REST OF THE DAY!"

Minccino shuddered at a huge mudslide. Team Eviolite on the other hand, looked ecstatic.

"Woohoo!" Bidoof lead the way as he, Plusle, Munchlax, and Shuckle dove into the mud. Minccino stared in disgust as they rolled around, throwing mud at each other and generally having a fun time.

Tepig grinned. "Aww….c'mon Sheila. I think you'd look good after a mud bath."

Minccino gave him a terrified look. "There's no way I can do this….oh my God this is so gross."

Tepig put a trotter on her shoulder. "You'll get use to it. Remember, a mud bath might even attract me, so….."

Minccino punched him in the gut, before stomping off towards the mud. "Even the muddiest area on the island is nowhere near as dirty as you."

Tepig clutched his stomach, but grinned. "I love that woman."

Minccino edged nervously, slowly dipping a toe in. She shuddered.

"Does that count?" She asked Victini. Parasect hissed in anger.

"Of course it doesn't count! Just DO IT already! We need this point! Look at the pre evolutions for crying out loud!"

Plusle was making a mud angel, while Munchlax and Bidoof were having a mud war, throwing balls of mud and insults towards each other. Shuckle spun in his shell, sending mud spurting around in different directions in a strange sort of show.

Victini tapped a nonexistent watch on his arm. "We're running on a tight schedule, Minccino. We can't let you stall for any more time."

Parasect looked terrified. "MINCCINO! YOU ARE RUINING A SCHEDULE! JUMP IN OR I'M PUSHING YOU MYSELF!"

Minccino closed her eyes. "All right…. I'll do it….in ten minutes."

Suddenly she screamed as Tepig shoved her from behind, sending her headfirst in the mud. Tepig was laughing his head off, until a scowling Minccino grabbed his legs, dragging Tepig down with her.

Tepig shook the mud out of his ears, grinning wildly, but Minccino tackled him, and the two began to wrestle, shoving each other into the mud roughly.

"They are SO cute together!" Plusle gushed.

"I think she's trying to rip his throat out," replied Shuckle, cringing.

Meanwhile, Munchlax looked a little embarrassed. "Listen Bidoof….I know we haven't been seeing eye to eye lately but uh…..we can still work together, right? I mean our uh...situation does not have to interfere with the competition, right?"

Bidoof shrugged, shaking Munchlax's hand. "Yup yup! I reckon we can settle this AFTER one of us wins this thing."

Plusle, witnessing this, sighed in the relief. "Oh thank Arceus."

Victini looked at the timer. "Well Minccino, looks like you passed!"

Minccino jumped out of the mudslide, looking flushed and actually happy. "Whew."

"BUT! You can't take a shower for the rest of the day!"

"Ha! I can though, right?" Tepig snorted mockingly. Minccino gave him an angry look as Victini gave him a thumbs up.

"That's it! Mud, get off me right now!" Minccino hissed angrily.

"Oh c'mon Sheila, d'ya REALLY think that's gonna wor-"

The mud shot off of Minccino like they were incompatible, leaving Minccino looking spotless.

"Hmm…." Minccino held her head up high as she walked away.

Frogadier scratched his head. "Oh come on, is she allowed to do that!?"

Victini shrugged. "Hey can't do anything about loopholes! Ready to go?"

Frogadier twitched. "Um yeah I actually wanted a minute to mentally prepare myself before-"

Victini snapped his finger, and Frogadier found himself at a cliffside. He blinked, rubbing his eyes and vaguely wondering where he was, before a loud voice pierced his thoughts.

"Froggie HELP!"

"SAVE ME FROGADIER!"

Frogadier whirled around, before staring in shock. Two Pokemon were clinging onto the ledge, clearly about to fall off. One was a Froakie; his little cousin. And the other was his closest friend; Quilladin.

Victini floated far above him. "This is you fear Frogadier! (Heh rhyme). Making an impossible choice! Saving your family or best friend!"

Frogadier froze. "WHAT!? What the-How can I possibly-?"

Victini chortled. "Looks like you're running out of time! I'd hurry up and make a choice!"

Frogadier shivered, looking back and forth at the two Pokemon, wondering what the hell he could possibly do. Finally, his face set, determined.

He dove over the edge of the cliff, to Victini's shock. Turning around in mid-air, he fired two hydro pumps from his hands, colliding with Froakie and Quilladin, blasting them up and over on top of the cliff. Frogadier smiled to himself as he fell; he had found a way to save them both….

And then suddenly Frogadier gasped, snapping awake. Victini was clapping.

"Congratulations Frogadier, you faced your fear, winning your team their first point!"

Frogadier shook his head rapidly. "Wait what!? What happened, where's Froakie and Quilladin? And how am I still alive?"

Victini grinned. "Say hello to our hypnotist-Hypno!"

A yellow psychic type came into view with a bow. "Pleasure to be of service. I hypnotized you to make you face your biggest fear."

Braixen growled, lighting her stick on fire. "Your Hypno?"

Team Eviolite, while normally looking carefree, suddenly looked murderous.

"We. Don't. Like. Hypno," Munchlax said through gritted teeth.

Hypno folded his arms. "Well okay, racist! Not all of us are narcissistic psychopaths."

"Hypno, you were SUPPOSED to pretend you were-whatever! Let's just get to the next fear-Munchlax!"

Munchlax gulped.

 **0000**

 **Hypno scoffed. "One bad egg and we're all treated like monsters. I swear, the nerve of them!"**

 **0000**

 **Minccino shrugged. "That was cool of Tepig to keep my mind off of the mud. But don't think I'm EVER getting involved with him. There's only one thing that boy wants, and that's not love!"**

 **0000**

Hariyama barked. "Oi! Ninjask. Your turn for fear!"

"I'm so excited I can't breathe," drawled Ninjask back.

Hariyama clapped his hands in a flash, and suddenly Ninjask was no longer in the woods, instead in some sort of circus. He flinched at the sound of the crowd cheering.

"What….the hell? This isn't my fear," said Ninjask with a scowl. He glanced to the side. Hariyama was juggling, wearing clown makeup.

"Lookup."

Ninjask rolled his eyes narrowing his eyes. But then they widened and he gasped in shock.

There, right on the tightrope, was a Shedinja, hopping up and down.

"SHED NO!" Ninjask shot off like a rocket, flying as fast as he could as his younger brother fell of the rope, plummeting to the ground. Ninjask caught him in a midair roll, slowly descending to the ground.

"Don't do that again," he said sternly, in a voice that was very different from his usual sarcastic tone.

Shedinja suddenly began squirming in Ninjask's grip, and Ninjask whirled around, staring at the red, white and blue cannon aiming for them.

Ninjask stared in shock. "OH SHIT!"

The cannon fired, shooting Shuckle right at the two. After a moment of thinking desperately, Ninjask jumped in the way of Shedinja, colliding with Shuckle and sending him flying through the air….

Ninjask groaned rolling over on the groaned. "Ugh….where…..am I?"

Hariyama spoke gruffly. "Ninjask faces fear of losing brother. Well done."

Ninjask was ashen face and shivering slightly. Lopunny cocked her head.

"Aww that's kind of sweet."

"CAN IT!"

Hariyama pointed at Lopunny. "You next, ready or not."

Lopunny shrugged. "I-I suppose."

"Lopunny's fear is thunder and lightning."

Lopunny gulped.

"Laaaaaaaaaaame," Misdreavus snickered. Lopunny slapped her.

Hariyama pulled out a remote, pressing a button, dark clouds beginning to form above Lopunny's head. She shuddered, trying to hold her ground.

Lucario called. "You can do this Lopunny! Just stay calm and…"

Thunder rumbled. Lopunny shrieked.

Lucario sighed. "Oh no….."

Lopunny screamed as she ran around, the thundercloud changing after her, occasionally sending shots of lightning at her. Hariyama chuckled.

"Must start next fear. Who wants remote?"

Misdreavus hopped up and down. "Oooh! Me me me me me me!"

Hariyama shrugged, tossing it to her as she giggled maniacally.

"Sableye. Your turn." the gem eater blinked.

"You got this one, babe!" Misdreavus cheered as Hypno started another illusion…

Sableye slowly awoke, rubbing his head. Strange, cheery and happy music rang in his ears. He looked around, before gasping.

He was sitting at a small tea party. He whirled around. Cute stuffed animals were all sitting in chairs around him, and a Teddiursa held up a pot of tea.

"Hi Mister!" They spoke in a happy, innocent voice. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

Sableye took in the whole picture, blinking. Then he had knocked the teapot out of the Teddiursa hand and began screaming. "AHHHH! KILL THEM! KILL THEM WITH FIRE!"

When he woke up, he found himself curled into fetal position. Nearly everyone was laughing at him.

Hariyama sighed, muttering something in Russian. "You failed."

Misdreavus tried to stifle laughter as she tried to comfort Sableye. "You all right, honey?"

"No….more….stuffed dolls."

Hariyama cleared his throat. "Bulbasaur. You are last one."

Bulbasaur flinched. "Um...alright."

Bulbasaur too, was hypnotized by Hypno. When he woke up, he found himself facing a crowd of people. Some of them were carrying signs. All looked livid with rage.

"YOUR FATHER BLEW MY COMPANY OUT OF THE WATER!" Screamed a Ledian.

"HE UNFAIRLY SUED ME AND MY FAMILY!" shouted out a Carracosta.

Bulbasaur shivered. "I-I'm sorry for what my dad's done, but I'm not him and I do NOT agree with what he's-" but he was interrupted by indignant shouting.

"YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A HEARTLESS MONEY LOVING MONSTER!"

"WE WANT JUSTICE!" Became a chant, screamed over and over. Bulbasaur flinched, squeezing his eyes shut.

"No! Stop, please! STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

Bulbasaur's eyes shot open as he lay on the grass, shuddering. Hariyama gave him a look of pity.

"Unfortunately, you failed. Why not go to take a rest at the cafeteria."

Bulbasaur nodded, though still looking shaken. "Thanks. I'm fine."

 **0000**

 **Ninjask folded his claws and buzzed angrily. "Before you go around calling me soft, my brother is frail, and I'm sort of responsible for creating him so…..I'M NOT SOFT!"**

 **0000**

" **This challenge sucked," sniffed Braixen.**

 **0000**

 **Bulbasaur looked a bit weak. "My fear is being treated badly because of my wealth and background. I-I've been hit with rocks and things...and I'm not exactly popular." He sighed. "It's fun to have a lot of nice things but….it's not worth being without friends."**

 **0000**

 **Sableye was rocking in the confessional. "No more tea parties. No….more…."**

 **0000**

 **Umbreon shuddered. "This cast is freaking weird."**

 **0000**

Meanwhile at the cafeteria, some of the remaining cast were talking.

Infernape looked nervous. "Man, some of these have been intense! I'm not looking forward to what I have…"

Carbink gave him a vaguely interested look. "What IS your fear?"

Infernape shivered. "That's the point. I don't know! And that's what scares me the most."

"You'll be fine," said Charizard gruffly. "None of it's real, make sure to remember that. We'll win, as long as we all do our parts."

"Oh yeah?" Asked Grovyle, grinning. "I think we have this. We've got Swampert and Gallade, and you've got the sleeping beauties over there."

She waved a hand to Slowking and Ampharos, who were both snoring. Slowking was leaning backwards, while Ampharos was face first into his cereal. The two were snoring in sync.

"That's…..kind of adorable actually," muttered Infernape as Charizard glared at the grass type.

"Do not underestimate us just yet. I'll be damned if we let you win another challenge!"

"Oh well that's just a bonus then!" Umbreon drawled from the back table, alone except for a terrified Eevee and a silent Gallade.

"Shut up."

Umbreon rolled her eyes, glancing at Eevee. "Uh...you okay?"

Eevee looked white as a voice. "Y-yeah I'm fine. Just a little nervous."

Umbreon put a paw on her shoulder. "Relax. Think of it as a doctor's appointment or something."

"Okay….okay…." Eevee looked like she was steeling herself up.

"And you are stronger than you think. Braver too. You've been slowly getting better."

Eevee started to reply, but was interrupted by the door of the cafeteria being kicked open by Tepig, who was covered in mud. Bulbasaur, Audino, Ninjask, and Sableye all stalked in, looking ill.

"Oi! Troll doll, edgy, sandman, and the sheep. It's time for our challenge."

Infernape, looking a bit nervous, lead the way. Slowking tried to help Ampharos to his feet, but the sleeping electric type emitted a static shock, and he flinched. Gallade got up last, looking even more reserved and uncomfortable than usual.

"Good luck you guys!" Audino cheered, sitting down next to Eevee.

"Are you two okay…?" Asked Charizard to his two returning teammates, looking uncomfortable.

Audino smiled. "I'm fine, but I'm far more worried about Bulbasaur."

Bulbasaur gave them a grin, but it was clearly forced. "I'm okay guys, don't worry about me. Sorry for losing the point…"

Charizard snorted. "Forget it. If we lose, you don't need to worry about being voted off, I'll make sure of that."

While they were talking Zorua sat alone, thinking quickly. Thanks to that meddling chinchilla, she was no longer trusted by her team, and a likely candidate of elimination. The only reason she hadn't last challenge was because of Misdreavus' sabotage, and Whimsicott apparently being a traitor. What she needed was a plan. And she LOVED plans.

She COULD get Misdreavus out easily, she mused, but...this was also a perfect chance to try and take out a threat. But who would attract the attention….

She vaguely stared at the Flat screen TV where the fears were being broadcasted. On one was Team Eviolite, playing in a mud slide.

Inspiration struck her. Her lips curled into a smile.

Perfect.

 **0000**

" **That team of pre evolutions is trouble!" Stated Zorua. "Together they can practically control the vote, and none of them are being voted off, because they aren't threats." She smiled cruelly. "But with their little love triangle going on…...I can pull a few strings."**

 **0000**

"Munchlax, your fear is easy. Just eat this steak!" Victini said, trying to keep a straight face.

Munchlax's mouth watered. "It's...beautiful."

The steak was well cooked, with a texture that would make a Miltank a cannibal. Munchlax licked his lips, lunging for it, before freezing. He suddenly clutched his stomach with a groan.

"Oh no….."

"Munchlax's fear is food no longer becoming desirable to him, so we gave him food that had been expired three weeks before," Victini explained with glee as Munchlax covered his mouth.

Munchlax tried to hold it in, before running towards Shuckle, desperately snatching the bucket from his hands and puking inside it.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Screamed Shuckle.

Plusle winced at the sight. Braixen elbowed her in the shoulder.

"Hey at least that makes the decision easier," she laughed.

Plusle sighed.

Victini chuckled. "Alright, barf boy. Just eat the steak, aaaaaaaand you're done."

Poor Munchlax had to practically drag himself across the ground. Slowly, and with a disgusted look, he grabbed a fork, before he dropped it, throwing up all over the steak. He took one more look at now disgusting piece of meat, before collapsing.

"Oooh, looks like Munchlax is out! Ampharos, can you take this opportunity to TAKE THE LEAD!?"

Ampharos slowly rose. "Whatever. Just can we PLEASE get this over with so I can go back to sleep?"

Victini huffed. "Fine! Your fear is a terrifying monster! Are you scared?"

Ampharos tottered. "I am WAY too tired to give a shit right now."

Victini snapped a finger. "WE'LL SEE IN TIME!"

Ampharos blinked as something rose in front of him, resembling something that looked unlike any known Pokemon he had ever seen. Tentacles shot out of its black body, with clawed arms and horns on its red head. It roared at Ampharos.

It raised an arm, swinging it down. Ampharos sighed. "I really am WAY too tired for this shit," a second before the fist smashed down on top of him.

Victini gasped. "OOOOOOOoooh! This looks like the end of Ampharos, and-eh?"

The monster grunted in surprise, its fist being lifted in the air. Team Eviolite and Victini stared in shock as they saw Ampharos on one knee, holding up the monster's fist.

"I TOLD. YOU," Ampharos hissed. "I am TOO. TIRED. FOR. THIS. SHIT!" With a grunt of effort, he tossed the monster's arm to the side, causing it to stumble. He threw a glance to Shuckle, Bidoof, and Munchlax.

"Play. My. Song."

Bidoof gulped, but cleared his voice.

(Author's Note: This song isn't owned by me, as it will soon be obvious.)

Shuckle and Munchlax: _Bung, bung, bung, bung_

Bidoof: _Mister Sandman, bring me a dream,_

Shuckle and Munchlax: _Bung, bung, bung, bung,_

The Monster snarled, aiming a punch, but suddenly froze as a static current ran through its body. Its eyes glowed red, shooting out laser beams that radiated heat. Ampharos rolled to the side, and the beams burned into the ground where he was a split second before.

Bidoof: _Make him the cutest that I ever, um seen_

Shuckle and Munchlax: _Bung, bung, bung, bung_

Ampharos blasted the monster with a thunderbolt, causing it to stagger. With a roar, it reached down, trying to grab the electric type….

Bidoof: _G-give him two lips, like roses and…..clover"_

Shuckle and Munchlax: _Bung, bung, bung, bung"_

Ampharos slid under the monster's legs, swinging a leg to kick it. He jumped on the monster's huge tail, and when it tried to throw him off, he let it. Ampharos flew in the air, before falling down, electricity forming around his fist.

Bidoof: _Then tell him that his lonesome nights are over!"_

Ampharos threw a thunder punch, hitting the monster squarely in the face, sending it toppling over. He landed easily a few feet away. The monster wriggled as two dizzy interns crawled out of the costume.

Victini began clapping loudly. "And our resident clumsy guy faces his fear! Oh and not bad singing, you three."

Bidoof, Munchlax, and Shuckle cheered, before Munchlax began puking all over Bidoof.

 **0000**

" **HOLY SHIT, AMPHAROS!" Infernape gasped.**

 **0000**

" **What's with all the electric types going insane when they are tired?" Carbink questioned. "Hmm I might have missed a threat."**

 **0000**

 **Shuckle was desperately scrubbing his bucket down with a sponge. "Don't worry baby, we're going to make it through this!"**

 **0000**

As a now sleeping Ampharos was carried off by Swampert, Victini turned to Bidoof.

"Let's get to your fear Bidoof! And that would be-drumroll please!"

Shuckle immediately began to play on his drum set, causing the other two to give him a shocked look.

"When did he even-?" started Infernape, but Slowking shook his head firmly.

"Don't."

"ANYWAY, Bidoof your fear is the dark so…..Hypno?"

Bidoof blinked, but when his eyes opened he couldn't see anything. Shuddering, he slowly took a step, before stopping. If he waited long enough, his eyes would begin to adjust.

But it wasn't going to happen. Bidoof's imagination unfortunately kicked in, and the thought of what might be in the darkness became too much. Bidoof curled up in a tight ball, and that didn't change even after Hypno brought him back.

Shuckle patted him on the back. Victini sighed. "Looks like he's out. Slowking? Your turn."

Slowking raised an eyebrow. "Very well. My fear would involve Hypnosis, correct?"

Victini nodded. "Let's start this thing."

When Hypno snapped his finger, Slowking found himself being plagued by all of the contestant's previous fears, as well as some others like murderous clowns, zombies, finding himself falling, and Carbink being taken away, leaving him completely alone. When Slowking finally woke up, he was not fazed in the slightest. Victini nodded, impressed.

"My fear," elaborated Slowking, "is nightmares. Given all of my time asleep I have encountered them quite frequently. So my fear is the feeling a nightmare causes, or by extension, fear itself."

Shuckle looked fascinated, but was no longer so when Victini picked him next.

"Shuckle, your fear is flying in an airplane."

Shuckle nodded. "That's okay. I mean, a lot of the previous hypnosis things were a lot scarier. I can do this."

Victini grinned in a way that would make a child cry. "See that's the thing. It ain't gonna be an illusion this time, moldy."

Shuckle looked horrified. "Wait a minute, WHAT!-"

Victini teleported Shuckle away with a swish of his fingers. Plusle gave him a nervous look. "Where did you put him?"

Victini smiled serenely. "Somewhere above the Johto region."

0000

Shuckle found himself in a plane seat, next to an overweight Snorlax who was too big for his seat and practically leaning on top of him. A young Tyrogue was kicking his seat.

Shuckle shivered, feeling the pressure of the plane going to his head.

"I'm fine. It's all in my head. Planes are actually super safe, and I just need to stick this out."

A garbled voice was heard from the pilot. "We're expecting major turbulence as we head over Mt. Silver." The plane immediately began to rock and shake.

"AHH-okay. Okay. I am fine. This is fine," Shuckle said, trying to calm himself down. "I'll just go stay in the bathroom." He crawled off his seat slowly, finding the door to the bathroom at the end of the walkway.

OUT OF ORDER

"OH COME ON!" Snapped Shuckle. Swearing to himself, he climbed back up his seat. Trying to relax himself, he looked out the window.

He gasped in awe. There was Mt. Silver. The mountain was huge, and beautiful in a indomitable way. He strained his gaze. He thought he saw something brown….at the top

The garbled reply came again. "Um I just wanted to let you all know that I am letting my underage, blind, and generally uncoordinated Spinda son fly the plane, who by the way has no piloting experience, while I am not in the room, in a place where I cannot act if there is danger. That will be all."

Shuckle swore. "Take your child to work day...shit."

The plane immediately lurched forward, aiming straight for Mt. Silver. Shuckle frantically started to strap his seatbelt on, but it tore in his grip.

"What the-THIS IS THE SHITTIEST PLANE IN EXISTENCE!"

Meanwhile, Hitmonlee stood at the very top of Mt. Silver, shouting and looking down.

"Weavile my love, I know you live here! I will search every cave if I have too. Huh?"

He turned, just in time to see the plane hurtling towards him. Hitmonlee's eyes widened.

"Oh no. Not ANOTHER-"

BAM!

The plane rammed into the poor fighting type, sending him tumbling over it and falling off, screaming.

Shuckle gasped. "Who did we hit?"

The plane dragged itself across the top of Mt Silver, sending snow everywhere, before taking the air, slowly righting itself in the air as the pilot took control once more.

"Whew…." Shuckle wiped sweat from his forehead. "Huh? Is it, hotter in here?"

A huge golden bird flew forward, its wings and head smoldering with flames, and an enraged look on its face.

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" he shouted, shooting a column of fire that scorched the plane. Moltres whacked it with a wing, sending it hurtling towards a forest below.

Seconds before hitting the ground, Shuckle tucked in his shell.

The plane hit the ground, exploding on impact. The competitors watching looked on in shock.

"SHUCKLE!" Screamed Plusle in shock and fear. Audino clasped a hand to her mouth in horror.

Victini clutched his head. "Shit, shit, SHIT! LAWSUITS!" With that, he teleported away.

He arrived at the wreckage, and things looked bad. But then he stared in shock. Shuckle was still inside his shell, without a scratch on him. Sighing in relief, Victini grabbed him, teleporting him away.

As soon as Victini arrived with Shuckle, a wave of campers knocked him over, surrounding the bug type.

"Oh my Arceus, are you alright?" Lopunny asked.

"You don't even look hurt!" Exclaimed a perplexed Misdreavus.

Shuckle on the other hand, looked like he was hyperventilating.

"Wait a minute, what about the others in the plane?" Asked Audino, concerned.

"No one gives a shit," replied Tepig.

"But….why?"

"BECAUSE COMEDY, THAT'S WHY."

"And Shuckle manages to win a point, even in such extreme conditions! Nice job! Now who wants to go next?"

Silence. Everyone who hadn't gone yet glanced at each other nervously. No one wanted to go after THAT!?

Victini snickered. "It doesn't really matter, since Infernape's next."

Infernape gulped. "Okay."

Victini smirked. "Hypno, if you please…."

Infernape's eyes shot open, finding himself in a corridor. He immediately moved to a fighting position, prepared to fend off possible attackers. None came.

Infernape's breathing began to slow. He wasn't in any immediate danger, anyway. Slowly, (which was difficult for him) he edged his way down the corridor, finding himself at a dead end.

"Oh...damn, well I better go the other way again-" He turned, but the corridor was gone, replaced by a wall.

"Ha! You can't defeat ME so easily, Victini. I can punch through WAY harder materials," the monkey boasted.

Infernape threw a punch, but the wall didn't budge.

"Huh….well I'll just try again!"

He continued to repeatedly punch the wall, but could not make a dent.

"Why…" PUNCH! "Isn't…." PUNCH! "This….."PUNCH!"...WORKING!" Infernape grit his teeth as he threw a final punch with all the strength he could muster.

The wall still stood, unaffected.

Infernape groaned, out of energy. He flopped to the ground.

"Nice try Infernape! Not good enough though!" Said Victini. "Punching can't solve EVERY problem, as your fear proves. Plusle, you're next! Come with me!"

0000

Grovyle sniffed the air, before her eyes widened. She smelled smoke!

The grass type slid down the tree, before looking in horror. A forest fire!

Grovyle couldn't think or move. All she could do was stare as the fire overcame all of her home and the trees around. Tears slowly formed in her eyes.

"I give up," she spoke bitterly. "Just send me back."

Grovyle woke up, and immediately ran forward, hugging the nearest tree.

Hariyama sighed. "Grovyle also fails then. Lucario, you are next."

Lucario flinched. "Um….okay I suppose?"

Hypno looked exhausted. "I don't understand why we keep doing these so far apart. Why can't we just do these in the same area?"

"Whining is unbecoming of young Hypno. Just start hypnosis."

Lucario swore. Not another one of these!

When she awoke, she was..floating? In something?

"Name? Lucario. Height? 3'11. Average. Weight? 119 pounds. Also average."

Lucario's eyes shot open. She was floating in a tank filled with water. Elygium scientists were walking around, discussing her like a specimen. Was she…being tested as an experiment?

"Subject is on the weaker side in terms of Aura. Personality? Tomboy, loves fighting and does not participate in orthodox activities that most females enjoy."

Lucario was horrified. WHAT!? They were going into her brain, piecing together knowledge. She grit her teeth. No!

She tried to move, but she couldn't. The scientists spoke louder, forcing her to hear their words.

"Carries pendant with her at all times. Given to her by Boyfriend. Zoroark. Subject's mega evolution causes her to become far more over confident."

No! Lucario tried to move, slowly gaining control of her limbs. She screwed up her eyes, trying to ignore the scientist's horrible voices.

"Subject is very insecure about herself and somewhat embarrassed of boyfriend. Subject is still a virgin. Subject's sexual orientation is bisexual. Subject has never admitted this to anyone due to-

SMASH! Lucario had thrown an aura sphere, shattering the glass and sending her rolling out. When she got to her feet, her eyes glowed with an intense hatred.

But then she was on her side, breathing heavily.

Hariyama gave her a look of pity. "Lucario passes. We shall now see Plusle's fear, yes?"

He and a few of the other Pokemon took off. Lopunny helped Lucario too her feet, a look of confusion on her face.

"Are you alright? What caused you to snap like that?"

Lucario raised an eyebrow, looking miserable. "It wasn't obvious?"

"No. I didn't hear what they told you, just saw the picture."

"Oh." Lucario breathed an internal sigh of relief. "It's nothing. You go on ahead, I have to do something quick."

Lopunny shrugged. Usually she'd pry, but….the expression on Lucario's face frightened her a bit.

As soon as the rabbit was out of sight, Lucario turned to a worn Hypno. An intense wave of anger, something she hadn't felt in a LONG time surfaced, and she marched over to the psychic type.

Hypno gave her a strange look. "Huh-Ahh!" Lucario shoved him into a tree, her enraged eyes boring down into his fearful ones.

"If you ever tell ANYONE what you heard here, I will personally END you. Got it?"

Hypno nodded wildly. Lucario's eyes narrowed.

"What you did was sick," she spat. "You went WAY too far." She pushed him away, stomping off. Hypno sighed, brushing himself off.

"I don't get paid enough for this crap."

 **0000**

 **Lopunny scratched her ears. "Is Lucario okay? I can never tell with her." There was a clap of thunder over the confessional. Lopunny shrieked, running away from the confessional as fast as she could.**

 **0000**

Plusle was shivering, up on the total Pokkemon stage. Nearly the entire cast was sitting in the chairs in front of her. Victini handed her a microphone and a piece of music.

"Just sing this and you're golden. C'mon, we see your nerdy friends sing all the time!"

"They AREN'T nerds!" Plusle protested. "And I have stage fright, how do you expect me to do this?"

"That's the spirit! Good luck!" Victini saluted her, teleporting to a seat next to Hariyama.

Plusle was shaking, but she managed to hold up the paper.

" _The...um…..eye...is…oh_ no. I'm gonna be sick."

Plusle, clutching her stomach, darted off the stage, and snatched Shuckle's bucket, throwing up inside.

"NOOOO!" Shuckle screamed again.

 **0000**

" **Hm…." Said Swampert thoughtfully. "I never would have guessed that SHE of all people would have stage fright."**

 **0000**

Victini looked over a list. "Uhh….Carbink, why don't you go next?"

"What do you mean, why don't you? It's not like I have a choice," Carbink said with a sigh.

"Good point. Now let's start! Hariyama, you can throw when you are ready!"

Carbink glanced up in shock. Hariyama tossed a heavy boulder from the cliff above the rock type. A second before he was about to get hit Carbink screamed for them to stop. Victini caught the rock with his mind and hurled it away, sighing.

Some of the fears were far more scary than others. Umbreon's fear was being completely alone, which she passed, though she was enraged. When Tepig mockingly pointed out that the loner hated being alone, she punched him in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain.

Charizard was hypnotized by Hypno with his fear. He found himself forced to shoot a criminal who had taken someone hostage. Though he passed, he looked sick with himself.

Scrafty easily faced his fear, which happened to be a backstabbing traitor. When Scraggy tried to stab him in the back, he caught his hand easily, punching the other Pokemon in the stomach and knocking him to the floor.

When it was Misdreavus' fear, she found herself in an empty room, with a few other people. Realizing they were in close quarters and with no one to stop her from doing what she wanted, Misdreavus smirked. She went all out, pranking the other people as much as she could. But soon she realized something strange. They acted like she wasn't there at all. She tried everything she knew-scaring them, pickpocketing, using her ghostly powers to turn off the lights, and nearly every prank in the book. None of them noticed. Finally Misdreavus flopped down, defeated.

"Any troll's worst fear," Victini explained to Slowking as Misdreavus woke up.  
"Being ignored."

"Brilliant," admitted Slowking, impressed.

Tepig also didn't manage to complete his fear, which happened to be Doduo. Tepig told everyone who had listened about the "Great Doduo war", that shamed Tepig, Pignite, and Emboar everywhere. Doduo, according to Tepig, where incredibly clever and quick birds, able to outsmart the pig Pokemon, overwhelming them with their superior numbers as well.

Victini sent a herd of them after Tepig, who fought well initially, but immediately walked away when the Doduo flew in the air.

Zorua found herself in a small cardboard box as her fear, revealing it to be claustrophobia. She managed to face it by turning herself into a Joltik, giving her much more space, leaving her to easily survive her challenge.

"Alright, Parasect. Your turn!"

Parasect winced. "Oh no. This will not be pleasant."

Swampert spoke calmly. "Do not worry. Fear is only in the mind. As long as you stay disciplined and-"

"Oi, Swampert catch!" Shouted Hariyama, throwing a Gligar. The Gligar clamped down on Swampert's face.

Swampert screamed, waving his arms wildly as he ran in circles. Victini sighed.

"Aww I'd thought he might have done better. Well, ready Parasect? We'll be going on a little trip for this one."

Parasect took a deep breath. "I am ready. Now my teammates, you will see the TRUE strength of your leader."

Victini put a hand on Parasect's mushroom, teleporting them both.

Parasect looked uncomfortable. "It is very hot here."

Victini waved an arm. "That's because we're in Stark Mountain, the hottest place in the Sinnoh Region! Look off this ledge, and you'll see your challenge."

Parasect shook in fear. Molten Lava had formed all around the ledge, leaving only pillars separating them from the entrance to the cave.

Victini grinned. "Hop on the pillars to get to the other side, and you'll avoid the lava. Simple eh?"

"Actually it's-"

"Finish that sentence and there WILL be consequences."

Parasect and Victini blinked at each other for a moment.

"-magma."

Victini swore loudly. "THAT'S IT, PUSHING YOU IN MYSELF-"

"Tini!" came a loud booming voice.

"Hey, Heatran!" Victini's voice changing from a feral outrage to a cheery wave, though his eye twitched.

"Oh it's so wonderful to see you again, Tini! It's been so long since we…..touched."

Heatran resembled a frog like Pokemon, la-MAGMA covering their body. Parasect arched a brow. Though they had a male voice, it was in a falsetto. They also wore eyeliner and lipstick.

Victini cursed quietly. "We should have just gone to Groudon's place…."

"What was that, Tini?"

"Uh….I said you have a very pretty face!"

"Oh well that's very sweet of you," Heatran said with a seductive purr, jumping on a pillar, swaying his/her hips seductively as they slowly walked towards the two.

Parasect cocked his head. "Why are you speaking in that voice? And why do you wear makeup? Is this some sort of legendary fashion statement?"

Victini whispered something in his ear. Parasect's eyes lit up with understanding.

"Ooooooh….."

Heatran jumped off the last podium, landing in front of the two. "Who's this little darling? Oh he looks so cute I could just eat him up."

Parasect whimpered, scuttling backwards, behind Victini.

"Um, we're just here to do a challenge and we'll leave. I wouldn't want to bother you or...anything."

"Oh it's no trouble!" Heatran spoke quickly. "On the contrary I'm quite lonely here. Maybe you can stay with me for a while….like back in the old college days…."

"THAT WAS A ONE TIME THING HEATRAN!" Shouted Victini, mortified. Parasect tapped his shoulders.

"I'm scared. Can that count as facing my fear?" Parasect asked.

"YOU KNOW WHAT? YES, LET'S LEAVE!" Victini shouted hastily, teleporting he and Parasect rapidly.

 **0000**

 **Parasect trembled. "I have a new worst fear."**

 **0000**

 **Victini looked conflicted. "Heatran is a nice guy, or girl I suppose….and I can accept that cross dressing makes her happy but…" he shuddered.**

" **There was this one time….she performed a strip tease in the Boy's locker room and….then there was that one time where we….we'll let's just say I like to avoid her when I can."**

 **0000**

Victini and Parasect arrived, both breathing heavily. Victini pointed at Parasect. "He gets a point….no questions asked."

"Yes, and the great Parasect shows off his skills once more!" Parasect boasted.

Victini folded his arms. "There's only two of you left. Eevee let's go."

Eevee trembled, but made her way over to Victini, who had Hypno hypnotize her.

Eevee awoke, finding herself in a strange room. Before she could wonder why she was there, she began to glow in a harsh light. Eevee's heart crept to her throat.

Evolution!

At first, Eevee struggled, not wanting to change into something new, or find her personality changing. But then Audino's calm voice spoke in her ear. She didn't even know what it said, and it calmed her down. Everything changes, she thought, as she let the white glow overcome her….

Eevee gasped awake, where Victini nodded to her. "You passed. Which just leaves….Gallade."

The green Pokemon gave him a look. "I do not wish to."

Victini snorted. "I didn't "wish" to see Heatran, but I had to. Now prepare for the hypnosis.

Gallade's single eye looked mutinous, but he nonetheless relented.

The campers stared at the television at the cafeteria, where they could see Gallade's dream. A few of them uttered a cry word of shock when they saw he had both eyes.

The psychic type stared ahead of him. Pawniards were surrounding him, aiming their sharp blades at his face.

Ahead of him stood a Bisharp, his bladed arm against a young Kirlia's throat, who was struggling to no avail.

"Gallade!" She shrieked. "Help me!"

Gallade said nothing as the Bisharp smiled coldly. "You have a choice. Submit to me or watch her die."

Gallade smiled slowly. Many were in shock as they had never seen the green Pokemon show emotion.

Gallade spoke loudly and clearly. "I just want to tell you how I'm feeling,"

Bisharp stared for a moment, before twirling around a now jubilant Kirlia in a dance.

" _Just want to make you, understand."_

The Pawniard flipped backwards in a dance around Bisharp, who was rather impressive. Gallade folded his arms with a grim smile on his face as they continued to sing.

Pawniard: _Never gonna-_

Bisharp: _Give you up!_

Pawniard: _Never gonna-_

Bisharp: _Let you down!_

Pawniard: _Never gonna-_

Bisharp: _Run around, and-_

Victini: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!

Gallade woke up, stretching and giving Victini a defiant look.

Victini seethed. "What the hell did you-?"

Slowking coughed. "I believe I know. He used his psychic powers to tamper with what he saw."

Victini seethed. "Well he's DEFINITELY NOT going to get a point for that!"

Gallade shrugged, as Victini checked off the list.

 **0000**

" **...Yeah, I have a fear of rick roll…" Gallade stated, "the bisharp and kirlia were old friends of mine. After a prank gone wrong I've began to fear that dreaded song."**

 **0000**

"Hm….alright I think we have a-Oh yeah, Donphan how are you feeling?"

Donphan looked miserable, but rose his trunk in triumph. "I will wait as long as I have to for that callback!"

"Nice! You passed."

"YES!"

"You didn't get the part, though."

"NOOOOO-"

"Shut up," Victini snapped. "For the final score we have for the Zany Zangoose, 5! and the striking Seviper's…..9! Meaning that the Seviper's win!"

No one really cheered, as the Sevipers were still recovering from their fears. The Zangoose, however, looked livid.

Victini giggled rubbing his hands. "You'd better think of who to vote!"

 **0000**

" **After all that we STILL lost!?" growled Grovyle. "And since I didn't pass my fear, it puts me in hot water."**

 **0000**

 **Zorua smiled cruelly. "Good. I'm safe for sure tonight. But just to make sure...I'd say it's time to kill an alliance."**

"COME ON MINCCINO, I need to take a shower!" Munchlax shouted, pounding on the door of the bathhouse."

Lopunny snorted. "She's been locked herself in there all evening. She REALLY hates being dirty."

"I bet she really likes playing dirty," muttered Tepig.

"What did you say?" Asked Munchlax.

"I said I wonder if she'll be like this when she's thirty."

"That is NOT what you said!" Replied Lopunny angrily.

"Heh."

Plusle tapped Munchlax's back. A prominent blush was on her face.

"Um…...can I talk to you in private?" Munchlax's heart soared in his chest.

"Ooooooh," all the the girls cooed as one.

Munchlax gulped. "Uh y-yeah, sure." Plusle led him away from the crowd, walking near the Zangoose cabin.

Munchlax scratched his head. "Um...Plusle? What do you want to-are you crying!?"

Plusle sniffed, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I've been having a tough time lately, and Bidoof…"

She froze, clasping a hand over her mouth.

Munchlax felt anger begin grow in his chest. "What did Bidoof do?"

Plusle shivered. "I-he….oh but I shouldn't say it!"

Munchlax put an awkward hand on her shoulder. "Um….well you can talk to me about anything because um….I care about you a lot and….Arceus I'm bad at this."

Plusle gave him a watery smile. "No, it's sweet. Bidoof has been th-threatening me not to date you. He's just trying to use us to get himself further in the game and is just planning to dump us later."

Munchlax's eyes widened in surprise. "Is that really true? Bidoof doesn't seem like that at al!"

"You have to believe me!" Plusle almost shouted, looking panic-stricken and hysterical.

"Of course I believe you…" Munchlax said soothingly, trying to calm her down.

"Thank you…" Plusle smiled, slowly leaning forwards. Munchlax only managed a look of shock before she kissed him softly. Munchlax wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes.

Slowly, Plusle's form shifted, becoming the dark form of Zorua….

Meanwhile, Bidoof happily skipped across the way to his cabin. He glanced off to the side, before freezing. Whirling around, he stared in shock. Munchlax was kissing Zorua….

 **0000**

" **You're going down for treating Plusle like that!" shouted a kiss covered Munchlax.**

 **0000**

 **Bidoof snorted angrily. "Leadin' two belles on ain't right. You dirty, cheatin'-"**

 **0000**

 **Zorua was scrubbing her teeth with a toothbrush. "Urgh! Barf-breath!"**

 **0000**

Plusle was sitting by herself at the beach when Shuckle grabbed her shoulder.

"You need to make a decision, quick! Bidoof and Munchlax are going to kill each other!"

Plusle got up. "What?"

"And on top of that, the Pokemon who passed their fears had a meeting to discuss who to vote for. You, Munchlax, and Bidoof are the prime candidates. I hate to say this, but it seems like you have to choose one and kick the other or YOU might get eliminated!"

"Calm down Shuckle!" Plusle shouted, but the gears were turning in her head.

"Plusle…. _please…"_ Shuckle said desperately.

"ALL RIGHT!" Shrieked Plusle. "All right!" She was breathing heavily. "I-I'll pick someone."

Shuckle sighed in relief. "Good. I hope you make the right choice."

Plusle sighed in her head. "Me too…"

 **0000**

 **Parasect snapped his claws. "Love triangle or not, I wanted Munchlax out anyway."**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty smoked. "Plusle, because she's the greatest threat out of the three of them. Do I think she'll leave? Nah. She's much too popular compared to the other two."**

 **0000**

 **Sableye snickered. "BIDOOF! BECAUSE I CAN!"**

 **0000**

 **Plusle looked at the camera, a peaceful look on her face. "I'm sorry. But I know I made the right decision."**

 **0000**

The Zany Zangoose all looked a little spooked as they faced Victini. Victini took pride in this immediately.

"After your worst fears were faced, who will be out in this place in this race?"

Ninjask snapped. "Stop rhyming and get on with it!"

Victini's eyes smoldered. "Why don't you kill yourself to save us the trouble!"

Ninjask laughed coldly. "If I wanted to kill myself, I'd just climb up your ego and jump all the way down to your iq!"

"Oh just shag already!" Tepig called. Minccino giggled.

"Says the couple that was shipped so fast that FedEx ran out of business."

Minccino immediately made an eeping sound and went silent. Tepig shrugged nonchalantly.

Victini grumbled. "Anyway, neither of you two idiots were eliminated. Just take the damn poke block."

As they caught them, Ninjask elbowed Tepig. "And besides, Victini has Heatran."

"That was a one time-SHUT UP NINJASK!"

Regaining control of himself, he cleared his throat. "Parasect, Braixen, Sableye, Shuckle."

Shuckle was relieved, but looked to the rest of alliance with fear.

"Scrafty, Umbreon, Grovyle, Gallade…..and eh, Minccino."

Minccino breathed a sigh of relief, leaving only Team eviolite and Swampert.

"Swampert, you are safe as well."

Swampert grunted in thanks as he took the Poke block. Shuckle hung his head. One of Team Eviolite was leaving for sure now.

Bidoof and Munchlax glared at each other, while Plusle looked simply tired.

Victini looked at the three of them with a smile. "It seems like this love triangle is about to be resolved. But by whose departure? The camper going home is…."

Bidoof shivered, Plusle looked down, and Munchlax immediately began eating some of his just-in-case food.

"Plusle."

Munchlax and Bidoof immediately shot up. "WHAT!?"

Plusle nodded, smiling. "I had a good time Victini. Munchlax….Bidoof….I voted myself off. Shuckle did too."

The two looked devastated. "Why?"

Plusle shrugged. "This alliance would just fail eventually with me here, with you two at each other's throats. This way, you guys can focus on the competition and win. You have a chance to be happy."

"But…"Munchlax protested. "You don't deserve this, you should still be allowed to compete."

Plusle scratched his head. "It's better than picking one of you and kicking off someone when they are heartbroken. This way, at least we can be friends."

Munchlax and Bidoof sighed sadly. Plusle waved as she walked aboard the ferry.

"WIN FOR ME GUYS!"

The two watched her until she was out of sight.

Bidoof and Munchlax glared at each other, before hugging. Shuckle smiled sadly at the two of them. Maybe something good could come out of this.

 **0000**

 **Zorua cackled. "YES! I was expecting to snag one of them, but not the leader! This is perfect, hmmm…". She thought for a moment. "I need to fly under the radar for a while, I'm sure those runts will be suspicious of me."**

 **0000**

Long after the elimination ceremony, Gallade sat down, sitting against a tree. In front of him was a cross, a clear sort of shrine. In front of it, Gallade had carved the word 'Kirlia.'

Gallade stared at the shrine for a long time, before slowly rising. As he turned and walked away, he muttered something under his breath:

"I'm sorry."

0000

And that's the end. Whoo another long one. LOVE ME!

By the way, if you have any questions about the fears, feel free to ask. Some of them might have been vague.

Oh! And Hitmonlee, Heatran, and Moltres do not belong to me, but Dark Amphithere. Check out HIS Total Pokemon when you have a chance, it is FANTASTIC.

Plusle leaves, which is sad…. probably the first MAIN characters to depart.

Well that's all. Till next time guys!

.


	11. Chapter 11: Bend it like Beldum!

Author's note: Hey, Diamond Toxic and Shuckle Master here, and welcome to the next chapter! Review and enjoy :-).

0000

Frogadier sighed as he wiped his forehead. He had just finished a very vigorous session and was currently walking back to camp, attempting to get to the cafeteria before the other Pokemon. He had just learned from Munchlax that Haiyama actually serves the first Pokemon to arrive a slightly better meal. While it wasn't much, it was still worth the early rise.

 **0000**

" **Whew…that was a nice workout" Frogadier explained as he stared at the camera. "I have to make sure I'm in top shape while on the island. I want to make sure that I'm able to save any Pokemon that might get in trouble. Good thing I did, because Eevee almost fell off another cliff, and Grovyle sprained her ankle. All in a day's work!"**

0000

Elsewhere, Gallade had a similar idea. He was currently standing in between several rocks that were about his size. After several minutes of staring blankly at the rocks, he let out a loud exhale and extended his blades. He then began to effortlessly demolish the rocks, hacking and slashing at them with great power and skill until they were reduced to pebbles.

"Not bad, but it isn't enough," he stated as he stared at the once rocky terrain. "If I'm going to keep living, I need to become faster, stronger, and more accurate."

 **0000**

" **If I'm going to survive the encounter that is waiting for me back at home, I need to become more powerful. I'll just have to keep training until I reach my goal, no matter how hurt or tired I get. There's always the option of releasing** _ **it,**_ **but I promised myself that I would not do such a thing ever again." Gallade said in the confessional. However, he began to snarl as he said the word "it."**

0000

Charizard groaned as he tried to think, though he found it hard since Misdreavus and Sableye were sucking face nearby.

His team had lost the last two challenges. As the leader, he knew his team's successes and failures were reflective of his own leadership. At this point he needed options to eliminate if his team failed again, or else he himself would be voted for being a poor leader.

He immediately crossed out those who had proven themselves to be valuable teammates, such as Slowking and Frogadier. He could not risk voting off a threat at this point either. This narrowed his options quite significantly.

Both Carbink and Bulbasaur were weak competitors, Misdreavus' constant pranks were beginning to annoy the entire camp, and then there was Zorua…

Charizard growled. With her abrasive, arrogant, and cruel personality, he had never liked the sly vixen. She was a threat too…. but not in a way that was beneficial to the team.

Despite her shady actions to help the team, Charizard had the thought that Zorua wasn't a team player at all; she was only in it for herself. And Charizard didn't like that.

 **0000**

" **It pains me to have to do this, but when the time comes, I need to take action. If some Pokemon are not able to hold their own weight, then we need to dump them. They have little right to stay in the game if they can not contribute."**

 **0000**

Scrafty was thinking deeply, looking at the Jenga tower sitting on the table in front of him. Slowly and carefully, he removed one of the blocks. The tower held.

Parasect stared in amazement. "Incredible! Simply incredible! I did not realize you were literate in the arts of tabletop games!"

Scrafty shrugged. "Eh….this is just another strategy. The Jenga set represents the team, while the blocks are the players. Remove an unimportant block, and the tower still stands….but if you aren't careful…"

He took out another block, and the Jenga tower crumbled.

"You get the idea. What are you here for, anyway?"

Parasect clicked his claws impatiently. "To discuss our next strategy for the challenge! We shall keep up our win streak!"

"I'm good," Scrafty replied, leaving an irate Parasect next to the now ruined Jenga tower. He walked past Shuckle and Bidoof, who were playing foosball.

"I jes' don' get it," said Bidoof, spinning the figures on the table to deflect a ball. "Why would she even have to go an' do a thing like that?"

Shuckle sighed. "Because she knew about our alliance, and wants to make us weaker. We need to be careful at this point, with her illusions, she could pretend to be whoever she wants."

Bidoof's eyes lit up. "We should have a secret han'shake! Just so's we can be sure if we're genuine or not!"

Shuckle nodded vigorously. "Yeah! Remember the rule though!" 

Bidoof rolled his eyes. "I know I know, don' tell anybody. An' I don' understand why we can't. We can get that witch eliminated if we get the team to appeal with us!"

Shuckle's expression darkened. "We don't want to make ourselves a target, because us being under the radar is the only thing keeping us in the game at this point. My guess is Zorua is gonna back off at this point, she already won her victory. Meanwhile we go behind the scenes to find out what exactly she's up too."

Bidoof cheered."Like a secret agent! This is gonna be somethin' wonderful!"

Shuckle raised an eyebrow. "Where's Munchlax, by the way?"

"He wen' off to the cafeteria t' see if he could get some good eats before Hariyama's cookin' suddenly got awful again."

0000

Some of the campers rushed to the cafeteria to eat, but Frogadier sighed when he saw he was too late, Munchlax was devouring all of the "edible" food. Hariyama put away the croissants and started handing out his infamous oatmeal, that had passed its expiration date by several weeks.

"So…what type of challenge do you guys think today's going to be?" Bulbasaur asked his team, taking out a care package of cookies from his family and handing them out to the other Pokemon with his vines.

"Anything is better than the last challenge," Lopunny said with a shudder. She took a bite out of a cookie and her expression changed to one of amazement.

"This is AMAZING!" The other Pokemon gave her an interested look, and soon the group began eating their own cookies, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

"Where did you even get cookies like this?" Asked Minccino, popping one in her mouth.

Bulbasaur blushed, muttering a "Homemade recipe….made it myself…."

Braixen slid forward on the seat, knocking down Eevee and wrapping an arm around Bulbasaur.

"You. Me. Brownies. After challenge." Bulbasaur's blush grew even wider. He mumbled something.

Lucario was leaning back, simply watching the other Pokemon. Lopunny tried to speak to her with her mouth full, but then swallowed.

"Why aren't you trying these, Lucario? These taste incredible!"

Lucario shook her head. "I'm good. Not a huge fan of filling my body with things that will slow it down."

Lopunny rolled her eyes, eating the last of her cookie. "Spoilsport."

"NO! BAD MUNCHLAX!" Grovyle chased Munchlax, who had grabbed four or five cookies, with a baseball bat. Munchlax dove under the table, snacking on the cookies and hissing at anyone who got close.

 **000**

" **Don't judge me!" Shouted Munchlax defiantly. "Do you know how LONG it's been since I've eaten food with good taste? LONG ENOUGH!"**

 **0000**

"I'm thinking the challenge will be something far more simple, considering the psychology behind the last challenge," said Slowking, ripping a cookie in half with his mind.

Tepig dipped his cookie into some Moomoo Milk. "I'd like another good fight. No more Doduo, and I'll be fine."

"At last! It could be a test of wits!" Donphan shouted a bit louder than necessary. "We have yet to encounter a challenge that tests the intellectual power of the two teams."

"Unfortunately for you, today isn't one of those days" Victini said as he appeared in front of the two teams. He kicked a soccer ball, sending it flying across the air and striking Bidoof across the face, who groaned as he hit the ground.

"You guys are playing Soccer! AKA Football, Futebol, Soka, or Fodbold, depending on where you live."

"A simple sports challenge? I can get behind that!" Said Braixen with a grin.

"Not quite," replied Slowking. "Football, like most team sports are very complex games that any strategic mind can enjoy. One cannot win a game like this without a fair amount of brainpower."

Parasect clicked his claws. "This game is very orderly and failure to follow the rules will result in PENALTIES. So I respect this game very much."

"Good point you two, but keep in mind….this isn't just soccer. It's TOTAL POKKEMON soccer."

" Well that makes it unique," drawled Ninjask.

Victini stared at him, before turning and floating out the door. "Hariyama, take care of the challenge. I can't deal with Ninjask today."

Hariyama jumped down, with a roar. "Very well. Hariyama will now explain challenge."

"Get on with it?" Ninjask asked in a falsely cheery voice.

"Hariyama understands why boss hates you so much," Hariyama snorted. "Now sit down and listen. Game of soccer not normal. This game only has one rule. Hand cannot touch ball at any time."

Tepig grinned. "That's fine. I'm more into oral-"

Hariyama threw a punch, sending Tepig smashing into a table with enough force to shatter it in half. Tepig tried to rise, but fell back down with a groan.

"Cheek," Hariyama said, cracking his knuckles. "Will not be tolerated."

Ninjask started to speak, but Haryiama had already thrown him across the table and into Tepig.

"That's not fair…."

Haryiama chuckled. "Anyone have questions?"

Parasect said nervously. "Well we must have some rules, heh right?" 

"Njet."

"B-but you must have Red cards-"

"No."

"Yellow cards?"

"Negative."

"Penalties? Goalie kicks? Throw-ins?"

"Zip. Zilch. Nada."

"OFFsides? C'mon man, you HAVE to have offsides!" Parasect pleaded, grabbing Hariyama and shaking him. Hariyama thought for a moment.

"Pick a really high number."

Parasect nodded hopefully. "Yes?"

"Multiply it by zero."

"NOOOOO!" Parasect moaned.

"Heh, I get it," said Sableye. "Because anything multiplied by zero-"

"YES SABLEYE, WE ALL GET THE JOKE!" Screamed Parasect, heartbroken.

"So, there aren't any rules at all?" Lopunny asked nervously.

Haryiama nodded. "Other than the no hand rule and staying within bounds of the field, yes. Two teams must pick 10 players each, including goalie. The campers not chosen will have automatic immunity."

 **0000**

" **Damn…." muttered Grovyle. "If we lose, there's only ten options to vote for. That means we lose a capable competitor almost GUARANTEED!"**

 **0000**

 **Eevee shivered. "I hope they don't pick me to play!"**

 **0000**

" **Aww man," Infernape laughed nervously. "A soccer game with street rules? This is gonna be intense!"**

 **0000**

Charizard stared at his team thoughtfully. The Seviper's and Zangeese were in separate cabins, preparing their teams.

"I think we should get the position of goalie out of the way first. While I could fill the part, I don't want to squander my advantage of flight."

"Then allow me…" Slowking spoke up, raising a hand.

"Uh heh heh…."Infernape laughed nervously. "Are you sure? You just don't seem like the type."

Slowking cleared his throat. "Well, you see-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN!"

The Seviper's flinched at the huge yawn that took several minutes.

Slowking coughed. "My apologies. Anyway, I am a psychic, so desite my rather slow speed I can defend without moving to the ball. I also have Shelder-"

"Howdy!" came the tiny voice of Shelder.

"-and with us working together, none will be able to catch us off guard."

Charizard couldn't help but smirking. "Excellent, I'll let you handle that. As for midfield, I'll go on account of my flying advantage. Infernape, I want you up there too, with your energy."

"Got it, boss!" Infernape whooped.

"Good. And...Lopunny, I think with your speed and those powerful legs of yours, you'll be best suited."

Lopunny rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah I'm sure my leg's power was ALL you were staring at."

Charizard grumbled in discomfort. "Whatever, can we move on? As for forward, Lucario and Frogadier, you two would be powerful and quick enough to pull it off."

Lucario nodded with a determined smile, while Frogadier bowed.

"And...er…."

"Ooh!" Ampharos' eyes lit up. "Let me!"

Charizard folded his arms skeptically. "I don't know if that's a good idea…."

Ampharos cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"He means that you are clumsy, uncoordinated, and with a static effect that could paralyze your own teammates," snapped Zorua bluntly.

Ampharos shrugged it off. "Sure, but I have a plan. With my help, we'll win for sure!"

Charizard raised an eyebrow. "That's a bold claim…...can you back it up?"

"You'll see."

Charizard bit his tongue. If the electric sheep was so confident well….it was his own funeral.

"Very well, then that just leaves the matter of defense. We'll need someone strong and sturdy…..Donphan?"

The elephant trumpeted in joy. "Very well! I will defend the castle and reclaim glory to the house of the pachyderms!"

He turned to Slowking, bowing low.

"I will defend your highness with honor and dignity! And know that I will fight to my last breath to defend you!"

"Oh….uh thanks?" Slowking mumbled, rubbing his forehead. Charizard cleared his throat.

"Bulbasaur….I would like you to participate as well."

Bulbasaur, who had been zoning out, snapped awake. "Oh...me? Why? I'm not exactly the most helpful camper here."

Charizard tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Yes, but I believe I can find use for you. You may be small and slow, but you're vines provide an advantage and gives you maneuverability. In the king of the hill challenge you were able to take down Swampert with your vines, so there is definitley some power behind them. With your reach, I believe you are a good choice for defense."

Bulbasaur nodded, afraid but prepared. "All right then, if you think it's best!"

Charizard turned to Zorua. "You are in as well."

The fox rolled her eyes. "Yeah, as if! I'm not a sport's girl."

"I didn't say you had a choice."

Zorua hissed. "There are better options then me, you know that."

Charizard folded his arms. "Maybe, but I don't trust you with immunity."

Zorua and Charizard looked like they would come to blows, but Audino got in between them.

"Hold on! Hold on! I'LL participate!"

Zorua shrugged. "I'm alright with that!"

Charizard gave her an angry glare. "I don't care! I already said, I am NOT giving you immunity!"

"Um…. Charizard?"

The dragon turned to Frogadier, who spoke somewhat hesitantly.

"What?"

"I'd feel a lot safer with Audino playing defensively, she's good at sports, and can act like a medic if we get injured."

Charizard snorted. "But still….Do you all agree with this? Infernape? Lucario?"

The rest of the team slowly nodded. Zorua's lips curled into a cruel smile.

"FINE!" Charizard snapped. "Audio's in! Just don't come RUNNING to me when she gets your asses eliminated!"

He stomped off, angry.

 **0000**

 **Lucario sighed. "I know what Ampharos is going to do. Bit too soon if you ask me."**

 **0000**

 **Zorua snarled. "Seems like Charizard will be a thorn in my side. Ugh, I'd better take care of him soon."**

 **0000**

" **YESSS! IMMUNITY!" Misdreavus cheered. "I'm going to TP Victini's cabin to celebrate!"**

 **0000**

Parasect paced back and forth, clearly thinking to himself. He muttered something, before proceeding to shake his head rapidly.

"So…"Asked Grovyle. "Planning on telling any of us what your thinking?"

Parasect snapped. "Silence! You only hold me back from my incredible potential as a genius!"

Grovyle rolled her eyes, as Scrafty lit a cigarette.

"Well..?"

Parasect snapped his claws. "Well...as for our goalie, Swampert is the best suited!"

The campers nodded begrudgingly. It DID make sense.

Swampert nodded. "I will do my best."

Parasect clicked his claws. "Yes…...well for our forwards I declare Tepig, Braixen, and Sableye!"

Sableye looked surprised. "Wait….why me?"

Parasect looked him over dryly. "You are very tricky. I have no doubt you can easily catch the enemy team by surprise."

Sableye cackled. "Excellent. They ALL will know my power."

Parasect clicked his tongue. "Well as for our mid fielders….Grovyle and Gallade are wise decisions. Grovyle is quick and sharp, and none have more skill then Gallade."

Grovyle tried to give Gallade a high five, but he simply stared at her open hand. With a huff of annoyance, she removed it.

"And of course...the great Parasect himself!"

Braixen scratched her head. "You REALLY think that's a good idea?"

Parasect eyed her maliciously. "Of course! I am number one on the tier list, after all!"

"But…you were put back ten places…." Ninjask protested.

"Heh…. you're opinion does not matter, for I am the team captain!"

"We put it to a vote…."

"SILENCE!" Shouted Parasect. "This is final! With my skills, we shall easily be able to defeat our opponents. Now all that remains is the defense….hmmmm, second in command, I want you taking notes on my brilliance!"

"Uh..yes sir!" Minccino saluted, leaving and returning with a clipboard.

He thought for a moment. "Scrafty and Umbreon….you two are fairly defensive Pokemon, no?"

Scrafty shrugged, while Umbreon said, "I make a better defense than offense, yes."

Parasect nodded. "Yes….now who else…"

Bidoof whooped. "I'll go! I love soccer. Me'n my cousins play all the time!"

Parasect nodded proudly. "Then we shall destroy the Seviper's! Everyone else, enjoy your immunity!"

Shuckle and Munchlax cheered, high fiving. Minccino sighed in relief, handing the clipboard to Parasect.

"Pretty sure I spelled Grovyle's name wrong. Might want to take care of that one, captain.!"

"Alright! Let's get started!" Braixen cried, running forwards, but Parasect jumped in the way, shoving her to the side.

"NO!" He hissed. "We have more we must discuss! Battle strategies, practice scenarios, exercises!"

The Zangeese sighed. It would be a LONG day.

 **0000**

" **Parasect has a big ego, but he isn't an idiot," Grovyle explained. "Honestly he hasn't done so bad thus far."**

 **0000**

" **He's gonna wreck himself this challenge, I can tell," Umbreon snorted.**

 **0000**

"And after SEVERAL HOURS, the Zangeese are FINALLY ready to compete!"

The competing campers were stretching on the field. The Seviper's had taken over the left side, while the Zangoose were on the right. The campers who didn't compete gathered on the stands, making bets. Victini and Hariyama sat further on their own, far more luxurious seats.

"Have you contacted legendaries yet…?" Hariyama grunted in question. Victini sighed.

"Well…..Celebi thinks I need to see a mental doctor, Regigigas laughed in my face, and I haven't been able to reach Ho-Oh. Heatran's perfectly willing but….no. And besides, I hate most of the legendaries, are you SURE it will raise up ratings?"

"Yes...was it not one of the Arceus' 18 commandments?"

"Yeah, rule four. _Thou must be a source of enjoyment to all, boosting ratings and making everything thou touches go viral."  
_

"Wow, you must be a real sinner then, huh?" Ninjask called up.

"SHUT UP NINJASK! How the hell did you even hear me!?" Victini roared.

"Because you are talking into a microphone!"

"Don't YOU SASS M-ohhhhhhhhhhhhh," Victini started, realization on his face.

"Well whatever, why don't we just start already! Defense, you ready?"

Bulbasaur looked nervous, but Audino patted him on the head, comforting him. Donphan gave a hearty trumpet.

Scrafty leaned back against the goal post. Umbreon narrowed her eyes, thinking quickly. Of the three, Bidoof was the most energetic and excited, running in place.

"Forward's, how about you?"

Tepig winked, getting into a fighting stance. Braixen pulled out her wand like stick from her tail, lighting it. Sableye rubbed his hands together, cackling.

Lucario stretched as she analyzed the defense, thinking of how to get past them. Frogadier balanced on one hand. Ampharos charged electricity, smiling confidently.

"And the mid fielders?"

Grovyle flinched at the state of the poor grass that both teams had been treading on, while Infernape was vibrating with excitement. Gallade fixed the other team with a sharp stare, and Lopunny stretched her legs, almost seductively in an attempt to weaken her male opponent's resolve.

Charizard and Parasect glared at each other intensely, neither letting up.

"Goalies?"

Swampert nodded, closing his eyes and sitting down, completely relaxed. Slowking smiled a mysterious smile, folding his arms behind his back.

"Then we can start! Remember, besides no handballs, there are NO RULES! Moves, mega evolutions, cheap shots, you name it. It's all allowed! The first team to score a goal wins!"

"I see.." Umbreon mused. "It's more like keep away than anything…"

"3!"

Gallade readied his scythes.

"2!"

Bulbasaur cast out his vines.

"1!"

Parasect snapped his claws at Charizard, who growled, forming a fireball in his mouth. 

Hariyama whistled loudly, signaling the start of the challenge.

Charizard immediately unleashed a jet of fire at Parasect, who screamed, running away as quickly as possible.

"BIDOOF SWITCH!"

Charizard kicked the ball to Lopunny, who grinned as she darted forwards with skill and coordination. There were no other competitors in the competition who's legs could compare to her's, in both looks AND power.

Gallade ran forward in an attempt to intervene, but was forced to block a punch from Infernape, who lunged into the fray. Before Gallade could make a move, Charizard took to the sky. He shot out another jet of fire, forcing Gallade to flip backwards, abandoning the chase for the ball.

Lopunny ran forward, easily out pacing Grovyle and kicking the ball to Frogadier.

Scrafty swore, aiming a punch, but Frogadier used a ninja hand technique, creating a double team that surrounded the hoodlum, each with a soccer ball at their feet.

Scrafty fought through the illusions while the REAL Frogadier stood unharmed behind him, passing the ball to Ampharos who stumbled with it before facing Umbreon.

The electric sheep tried to fake Umbreon out, but the dark type swept Ampharos' legs from under him, knocking him down on his back. With a grunt, she kicked it as far away from the goal she could….

Right into Charizard's vicious head-butt, sending it flying through the air straight towards the goal. Parasect and Bidoof both ran forward, trying to stop it, but Lucario jumped in, swinging a kick that knocked Bidoof to the side. Frogadier jumped off the top of Parasect's mushroom, flying above the soccer ball in midair.

He hurtled down, slamming a foot into the ball and sending it spinning towards the goal.

Swampert continued to sit inside, meditating with his eyes closed.

"SWAMPERT NO!" Parasect screamed, terrified.

Swampert's hand shot out, grabbing the ball in his hand. he smiled good naturedly, before throwing the ball as hard as he could, easily over Parasect's and Frogadier head.

"Midfield, now!" Shouted Swampert, cupping a hand to his mouth.

The ball hit the ground past the Seviper's line, Gallade claiming it and running forwards. Charizard sent several bursts of fire after him, but the silent warrior dodged the blasts easily. Infernape came up on his right, but Gallade side stepped, and suddenly Lopunny slammed into the monkey, bowling them both over.

Donphan rolled towards him with a lusty roar. Gallade did not try to avoid the elephant, instead running forward to meet him.

Suddenly Gallade stopped, crouching low to the ground, and Grovyle leapt over his head, slashing at Donphan with a powerful leaf blade. Donphan roared in pain and fell to the side, clearing a path for Gallade.

But before the green Pokemon could celebrate, Charizard unleashed another flamethrower, forcing Gallade to roll to the side and abandon the soccer ball.

Audino ran forwards, hoping to reclaim the ball, but was blocked by Sableye, who swung his claws with a feral hiss.

Sableye managed to take control over the ball, but Charizard roared and attacked, stomping the ground as Sableye barely managed to dodge out of the way. Lopunny and Infernape sprinted forwards, about to catch up and overwhelm them….

Suddenly Charizard grunted in surprise as a force grabbed him, lifting the dragon up in the air and sending him crashing down into Infernape and Lopunny.

"Guh-what?"

Braixen smirked, holding her wand out. Audino tried to dive for the ball, but Braixen swished and flicked her wand, causing the ball to jump away from Audino as she hit the dirt.

Grovyle jumped over the fallen Audino, kicking the soccer ball hard to Sableye, who had ran near the left side of the goalpost. The imp immediately dodged around Bulbasaur's vines as he engaged Sableye in combat.

However, Sableye's tricky moves managed to get past Bulbasaur's guard, and he giggled madly as he managed to pass the ball to Tepig, running for the goal.

Donphan snorted as he swung his trunk, but Tepig slid under it easily, smirking as he now had an easy shot at the goal.

Slowking stood absolutely still, looking lazily at the fire pig. Tepig shot out a jet of fire from his nose, and when Slowking moved up a hand to block it he made the shot, kicking the ball as hard as he could.

The ball flew past Slowking, but suddenly it bounced off an invisible force, smacking Tepig in the face and knocking him off his feet.

"OW! What the bloody hell was that?"

Slowking smirked. "Wouldn't YOU like to know?"

He waved a hand, a psychic force throwing the ball to Donphan, who roared as he smacked it with his trunk to Infernape.

The monkey, whooping, shot off like a bullet, sprinting past Grovyle and punching her hard in the face for good measure. He dodged Gallade, kicking the ball to Lopunny and continuing on ahead.

Lopunny kicked the ball around in her feet, meeting Bidoof. The normal type was surprisingly good, dodging around Lopunny's kick and not being fooled by any of her fake-outs.

Lucario called to the bunny. "Pass it! I have a clear shot!" But the bunny ignored her, instead kicking Bidoof to the side and readying a shot of her own.

Bidoof, thinking fast, bit down into the ball, his powerful buck teeth sinking in. Lopunny kicked the shot hard, Bidoof still attached.

As the ball shot near the goal, Bidoof's eyes narrowed. Spinning, he maneuvered himself and the soccer away from the goal. With a grunt, he hit the goalpost with his back legs, before kicking off.

"YEEHAW!"

He performed a midair somersault, hurling the ball off his jaws and sending it flying away from the goal. It would have went far, but Charizard flew forward, deflecting the ball off his wing and kicking it to Lucario.

Parasect barked. "Use special attacks! Keep that ball away at all costs!"

Lucario and Ampharos both sprinted forwards, as Frogadier tried to sneak around. Scrafty ran forwards to take care of the frog, Parasect and Umbreon stood firm.

Parasect shot out a razor leaf, while Umbreon threw a shadow ball with powerful force behind it. Lucario rolled past the attacks, continuing forwards, but Ampharos was hit by the razor leaf, stopping him in his tracks and sending him spinning off course. The shadow ball struck him, knocking him off his feet.

As Scrafty hit Frogadier hard with a drain punch, causing him to crumple down, Lucario dodged Umbreon, kicking her across the face and knocking her down. But then Bidoof jumped out of nowhere, headbutting Lucario hard and causing her to stumble backwards. Parasect grabbed the Jackall's shoulders hard with his pincers, throwing her to the ground.

Charizard snarled. "Ampharos! You were so damn confident about winning before, why are you getting your ass handed to you!"

Ampharos groaned, rising slowly, but he had a wicked grin on his face. "Don't worry. I'm just getting started."

Ampharos glowed in a harsh light, a strange pink barrier forming around him.

"No…..is that his…." Gasped Parasect. Umbreon nodded, almost in a trance.

"Yes….that's his mega evolution. Which pretty much means we're fucked," Umbreon said cynically.

"I DID NOT FACTOR THIS IN MY EQUATION!" Parasect hissed in anger and disbelief.

Finally, the light faded. Mega Ampharos stood….and surprisingly didn't look that different. His size and shape did not change, and he only had one outstanding feature. White wool grew out of his ears and tail, looking like a bizarre hairstyle.

Mega Ampharos' crackled with electricity with far more power than before. He smiled devilishly at the Pokemon at the defense. He cleared his throat.

" _Welcome to my show, one and all...now it's time for you to fall._ "

Scrafty raised an eyebrow. "Is he…. reciting poetry?"

Mega Ampharos snapped a finger, and four bursts of powerful lightning fell from the sky, striking the ground around the goal. Parasect threw up a hasty protective barrier, protecting him just in time, and Umbreon managed to roll out of the way. Scrafty, however, was hit dead on, flying backwards and hitting the ground hard, a paralysis effect taking over his body.

" _Lucario my dear…. lend an ear…. this is your chance to take a shot without fear…."_

Lucario had been staring at Mega Ampharos in complete shock, but shook it off, gaining possession of the ball. She easily managed to avoid Parasect, and Mega Ampharos threw an electro ball that Umbreon had to dive to avoid. Lucario took the shot, kicking it hard at a curve.

But while the other team had been thrown into a disarray, Swampert was a ground type. With a grunt he dove, catching the ball narrowly and throwing it once more.

"Get it as far away from Mega Ampharos is possible!"

Charizard took to the sky, grinning evilly. "Easy."

He swatted the ball out of the air with his wing, remaining still on the Zangoose side. Lopunny smirked as she once again took possession, ready to kick it to Mega Ampharos…

But Bidoof came to the rescue, sliding low to the ground and head-butting it between Lopunny's feet, rolling past her before she realized what was happening.

"Grovyle!" Bidoof called. The grass type moved quickly, snatching the ball and sprinting forwards. Charizard swooped down, shooting a jet of fire that Grovyle leapt over. Charizard smirked, ready to hit her with his wings while she was unable to dodge.

"I got him!" Lopunny, swinging a kick that was misjudged, striking Charizard in the head and sending him bowling over.

"LOPUNNY!" Charizard roared. Lopunny flinched.

"Sorry!"

 **0000**

 **Lopunny scratched her ears. "Alright, I'll admit it. I'm not the best at team play. Hey, I'm into gymnastics, which is an individual sport. I'm not used to working with another team."**

 **0000**

As Grovyle moved on, Mega Ampharos fired a thunderbolt with incredible accuracy. Grovyle had just enough time to pass the ball to Gallade before being knocked to the floor by its intense power. Gallade dodged an incoming Infernape, kicking the ball to Braixen before being hit by a thunderbolt himself, hissing with pain as he sunk down to his knee.

Mega Ampharos aimed another thunderbolt, but suddenly dodged a spore attack shot by Parasect, who clicked his pincers as he scuttled forward.

"Round 3, eh? Well this is fine! It is here I will show you that order and control ALWAYS wins! Your mega form means nothing compared to my rules!"

Mega Ampharos scoffed. _"Your rules are merely for fools, and you are being used like a tool."_

Parasect screamed, lunging for Mega Ampharos, who simply rolled his eyes.

 **0000**

" **DAMN! THIS SHOW IS MESSED UP!" Shouted Munchlax, wide eyed.**

 **0000**

 **Minccino flinched. "That hurt me just watching it."**

 **0000**

 **Carbink swore loudly. "Mega evolutions completely break the game, and Ampharos isn't even that good of a good competitor! I need a plan to get rid of them somehow…"**

 **0000**

Two interns came with a stretcher, dragging an injured Parasect away. At the same time, Braixen managed to get through Donphan's defenses, passing the ball to Tepig, who took the shot once more. But Slowking's barrier continued to hold with so much of a crack. Slowking tossed the ball with his mind, but Braixen swung her wand, keeping possession.

"We need a plan! We have to get through that barrier somehow."

Tepig dodged a vine from Bulbasaur. "We need either someone with brick break, or someone with enough type advantage to break through it."

Braixen and Tepig both thought for a moment, before realizing. "SABLEYE!"

Sableye understood immediately, cackling in glee. Audino ran forward to stop the imp, but he simply flipped over her head and scampered to Slowking, who was unable to use any psychic attacks.

Slowking tried to fire a jet of water, but Sableye used a fake out, causing Slowking to flinch and lose concentration. Sableye followed up with a vicious strike that shattered the barrier.

"NOW'S OUR CHANCE!" Sableye shouted, whirling around. Braixen grinned as she kicked the shot at a now wide open goal. It went past Slowking….it was going to make it!

Suddenly a vine wrapped around the ball, stopping it a mere centimeter from the goal line. Bulbasaur had saved it, barely keeping it in…

Tepig snarled, running forwards, but Bulbasaur stuck out a vine, tripping him. Another vine wrapped around his body, and with a grunt Bulbasaur threw him into Braixen, knocking them both down.

Sableye lunged, but Bulbasaur threw the ball with all his might to Charizard, who caught it in his wings. The dragon flew above the other midfielder's heads. Gallade jumped up, prepared to hit him out of the air, but then Charizard simply tossed it behind him.

Infernape took the ball with a whoop, finding a second wind and nailing Bidoof in the jaw when he tried to intervene. But then Gallade kicked him hard in the stomach, knocking the wind out of the monkey. Lopunny hopped forwards, swinging several kicks that the knight was forced to block, his feet maneuvering to keep the ball in his possession.

But then Mega Ampharos threw a thunder punch out of nowhere, sending him tumbling backwards and reclaiming the ball. Umbreon, Scrafty (who's shed skin ability had healed him of his paralysis), and Grovyle all ran forward, but Ampharos' thunderbolt hit them hard, sending them all flying in different directions.

Swampert raised his arms in defense; he was the last line of defense for their team. Ampharos dribbled the ball, before shooting with an incredible amount of power and speed, aiming for Swampert's head.

" _This challenge was fun, I had a blast, but now our losses are a thing of the past. And now the chips fall where they may, and Ampharos stays in, for another day…."_

The ball collided with Swampert's head, causing him to stumble. The impact sent the ball high in the air, spinning.

Lucario jumped up on Ampharos' shoulders, giving her a boost as she flew through the air, before kicking the ball in midair in a powerful spike, striking down past the dazed Swampert and hitting the net.

"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!"

Victini screamed, as Hariyama blew the whistle that signaled the end of the game.

Victini grinned. "That game was intense, kids! Zangeese, it's time to pick a camper to go home! But remember, only the competitors who actually COMPETED can be voted for!"

 **0000**

 **Shuckle gasped. "That exhausted me just by watching it! It's a good thing I have immunity…. but geez, who's going home?"**

 **0000**

 **Zorua rubbed her head in annoyance. "Mega Ampharos likes…. rhyming? What. Well anyway it doesn't matter. He used his mega Evolution WAY too soon, and now he's no longer a threat."**

 **0000**

" **HOW THE HELL IS THAT THING A DRAGON!?" Shouted Sableye.**

 **0000**

Victini stared at the terrified campers with a grin. With only ten of them, there was a 1/10th chance of being eliminated.

"You guys fought hard, but Mega Ampharos screwed you over. Tough break! But let's see who had the toughest break of all! Shuckle, Munchlax, Ninjask (ugh,) and Minccino have automatic immunity. The rest of you do NOT!"

The ten competitors had varying expressions of fear on their faces.

"Gallade, you're safe. Grovyle and Scrafty, come up as well."

Grovyle breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh thank Arceus."

"Umbreon, Bidoof, Tepig. You guys come up too."

Bidoof snatched up his poke block, hugging Shuckle and Munchlax on the way back. That was close!

"Braixen and…..Sableye!"

Braixen and Sableye high fived, grabbing their Pokeblocks together. Only two Pokemon remained.

Parasect clutched an ice pack too his head, making strange sounds. Swampert remained calm, but his heart sank.

Victini sighed. "Sorry Swampert….."

The mud fish rose sadly.

"But you're STAYING tonight! Parasect, you're OUT of here!"

Swampert relaxed, leaning back in relief. Parasect, however, shouted in rage.

"YOU PICKED ME!? HOW?"

"No offense Parasect, but you're attitude is getting old. Plus you got wrecked by Ampharos," piped up Munchlax.

Parasect looked mutinous, but sagged. "I understand."

 **0000**

" **Looks like we'll need a new leader," said Braixen. "I wonder who will step up to the plate."**

 **0000**

 **Umbreon snorted. "Ugh thank Arceus. If I had to deal with him for another week I'd drown myself."**

 **0000**

 **Parasect sighed. "I failed….I guess I'll just cry in the corner and feel the pain of my crushed dreams…." He smiled slightly. "Well if I had to pick anyone, I'd pick Minccino. She was a good second in command, and respect another rule follower. As long as Ampharos does not win, I'm fine." He rubbed his claws together. "Well it's time to go back home….I'd better whip my family back into shape, ha ha!"**

 **0000**

The Striking Seviper's were celebrating a small party in their cabin. Ampharos found himself being thanked by everyone, while Audino wrapped an arm around Bulbasaur.

"Don't forget Bulbasaur, everyone! He saved us at the last moment!"

Bulbasaur blushed, but smiled. "I did, didn't I?"

Misdreavus smirked at Ampharos. "So heh, that mega evolution, huh?"

Ampharos winced. "Ugh yeah. I like reading poetry, but my mega evolution takes it a step further by ONLY SPEAKING IN RHYMES!"

"Well hey….that mega evolution won for us, didn't he?" Asked Lucario mildly. "Can't argue with results."

Ampharos shrugged. "That IS true….mmm, by the way who made these brownies, they taste even better than the cookies!"

Bulbasaur raised a vine. "Braixen and me. We wanted to make something edible. We make a pretty good team, huh?"

Infernape grinned wildly. "Holy crap, this guy is AWESOME today!"

Charizard agreed, nodding somewhat solemnly. "Yes, you are certainly earning your keep."

Audino looked thoughtful. "Do you think we should give some brownies to the other team? We certainly have enough."

The team looked around at each other.

Misdreavus giggled. "Heh heh….NAH!"

0000

Another end to another chapter! I have to say that I REALLY enjoyed writing this one. Fun to do, I guess.

Parasect leaves, which is sad but eh. He wasn't really a long lasting competitor, was he?

Last thing I wanted to say was sort of a request. I just wanted to say I AM grateful for those of you who are reviewing, but I'd like to make this a bit more popular. I DO put a lot of effort into this, so it would be nice to get feedback. Reviews get me inspiration and motivation.

Also spread the word! If you like this story, tell your friends! I want to share this story with more people. The more the merrier, and I'd like to see some of my hard work paid off a little bit more.

Oh and you guys can totally ask me questions about the story as well. As long as it's not spoiler related or not. I can guarantee a response if the review has substance and questions or predictions.

I HAVE seen a lot of stories like these get a lot of followers and reviews, so I'm sure many more would be interested in this.

Not trying to sound entitled or a beggar, but I DO put a lot of effort into this, and reviews really DO mean a lot.

Welp, I'm sure you've listened (or read?) my insane ramblings long enough. Till next chapter guys!

Parasect: REVIEW! For the number of reviews this story has is currently ODD! That is unacceptable!


	12. Chapter 12: Unhappy Campers

Finally a new chapter! This one was not easy to write, let me tell ya!

Well….enjoy!

0000

"This challenge is an easy one to understand," Said Victini, reading off a list.

"Don't worry," Misdreavus whispered to Infernape. "If HE can understand it, I think we'll be fine." Infernape hastily stifled his giggles as Victini wheeled on them.

"MOVING ON! In this challenge, you guys will be going camping!" Victini said cheerfully.

Grovyle grinned. "Yessssssss."

Some of the other campers however, didn't look so excited.

"Where….are we going, exactly?" Asked Audino.

"You'll be heading to our designated campsites, where creature comforts and luxuries will be provided," Victini said with a snicker.

"And how do we get to these most likely unstable and disjointed locations?" Zorua asked, rolling her eyes.

"With these maps!" Victini said, throwing two rolled up maps at the teams. Charizard caught one, while Minccino caught the other.

"The goal in today's challenge is to see how well you can survive when left to your own devices. If you can survive a night in the woods, find proper shelter, get food for yourselves, and arrive back at camp first without getting lost, you win!"

"What if we arrive at the same time?" Asked Shuckle, raising an eyebrow.

"If you tie we decide on the team that we feel survived best, or just a tie breaker. I haven't decided yet."

Victini stretched. "Now before you leave, ya might want supplies! Follow me, everyone!"

The fox whistled as he lead them to a pile of junk, containing various camping equipment. Grovyle's moved around rapidly, eyeing what they needed and what they didn't.

Victini grinned evilly. "Normally I'd just have you fend for yourselves without supplies, but I won't pass up an opportunity to beat each other up! FIGHT FOR IT!"

Victini pulled an airhorn, and the two teams charged with such reckless abandon that was so chaotic it would have given Parasect a heart attack.

"Only take what's absolutely necessary!" Minccino called, digging into the pile. "No luxury items!"

Ninjask, being the fastest, managed to fly in and out of the pile easily, snatching up bedrolls and sleeping bags. Audino grunted as she pulled out a first aid kit.

Munchlax cheered, clutching a bag of marshmallows. Grovyle wheeled on him.

"We do NOT need those! Only take what's vital to us!"

Munchlax hugged it to his face protectively. "No."

Bidoof whooped. "Nice. Duct tape! That stuff is important for adventurin'!" He turned, his eyes widening. "Flashlights!"

He dove for them, but an invisible force grabbed the flashlights and pulled them away, forcing Bidoof to crash into the pile with a moan. Slowking folded his arms, chuckling. The flashlights ascended into the air next to him.

Sableye glared at a broken grandfather clock, before throwing it away and staring in amazement at the tent lying in front of him. His eyes shone.

"Score!" He shouted, leaping for the bag. He grabbed it, but then looked on in surprise at the pair of blue hands that had grabbed the other side.

Sableye and Frogadier stared at each other in shock. Sableye shook his head, trying to yank the bag away from Frogadier's grip.

"Give it to me before I rip your HEAD OFF!" Sableye snapped.

Frogadier rose his arms in surrender, releasing the bag and sending Sableye flying into a pile of pots and pans. "Sheesh alright."

"FROGADIER!" Shouted Charizard in disbelief as he nabbed some toiletries. "Why did you let him take it so easily!? You're much stronger than he is!"

"Hey he wanted it more than I did! Plus Sableye scares me a little…" Frogadier shivered.

"As….I should…." Mumbled Sableye, a pot over his head, though he held up the tent bag triumphantly.

As Charizard huffed, rolling his eyes, Minccino glared at Shuckle, who had gathered a bunch of buckets.

"Shuckle, essentials only!" The chinchilla growled. Shuckle glared back.

"These ARE essential! To me!"

Minccino sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Fine, but you can only bring one. Don't go overboard."

Shuckle shook his head. "Five buckets!"

"Ugh, two."

"Four!"

"Three!" Shuckle countered. The two glared at each other.

Minccino sighed, throwing up her hands. "Fine, whatever!"

"Yes!" Shuckle cheered, dragging the largest bucket in the pile behind him.

Victini honked the air horn again, and Zorua growled at the noise.

"You guys finished yet? Because it's challenge time! No more packing!"

The two teams split up, crowding together.

Charizard growled lowly. "The map is pretty accurate, surprisingly. Misdreavus and I will take to the sky to scout ahead. You guys follow. Did we get anything good for supplies?"

"We have flashlights, bedrolls and sleeping bags, toiletries and a first aid kit," recited Lopunny, looking over their rather small pile of provisions.

"Wait….but how did we get those bedrolls?" Bulbasaur asked. "I thought Ninjask grabbed them first."

"I threw a rock," Misdreavus said with a giggle. "Super effective!"

Charizard nodded. "Then we'd better get going. We want as great of a head start as possible." He took to the air, followed by a playful Misdreavus. The rest of the team ran behind them, struggling to keep up with the fliers.

 **0000**

" **Ow…." Moaned Ninjask, rubbing his head.**

 **0000**

 **Eevee squirmed. "I've always kind of wanted to go camping….but something tells me THIS camping trip won't be so fun."**

 **0000**

Minccino looked over the supplies. "Tent bag, compass, Duct tape, marshmallows, and three buckets. Ninjask? Are you alright?"

The cicada was hissing in pain, rubbing his head. "That ghost bitch nearly killed me with a rock. Stole my supplies, too."

Tepig snorted in laughter, before Braixen punched him in the shoulder.

"Don't call my girlfriend that!" Shouted Sableye indignantly.

Ninjask rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm sorry for calling your girlfriend a bitch."

Sableye shook his head. "No, I meant ghost! That's offensive!"

Minccino coughed. "Well Grovyle, I think you should lead this one. You definitely have an edge here. In the meantime we should distribute who carries the supplies evenly."

"Nah just put everything in my wagon!" Shuckle exclaimed cheerfully. "It'll be easier to keep track of everything."

Grovyle studied the map. "Alright. It looks like our campsite is in the west. Compass?" 

Bidoof looked up, holding the item in question. "West is that way." He pointed in the other direction.

Grovyle smiled. "Then let's go! We can get some food on the road!"

The Zangeese took off, Grovyle in the lead, and Bidoof at the back, struggling to drag Shuckle's now stocked wagon behind him. Ninjask sat next to Shuckle, grumbling and rubbing his head.

As soon as they left, Victini smiled evilly. "Time to unleash the twist! Hariyama!?"

The sumo wrestler dragged in a large crate, easily big enough to carry a large portion of the entire cast.

Victini giggled maniacally. "Release…..the HOUNDOOM!"

Hariyama snapped over one of the claps, opening the crate. A pack of fiery dogs with black skin ran out, growling and barking.

Victini snapped a finger. "Go and thrash around the campers a bit, okay? You guys know the reward! But eh….let's give them a head start!"

The Houndoom muttered among themselves, continuing to bark loudly.

Victini gave Hariyama a look. "How the hell did you get them to act like this? This is incredible!"

"They want a pay raise," Hariyama responded dryly. Victini swore.

 **0000**

 **Victini rubbed his hands together. "These guys are the deadliest and most hardcore canines of Johto. Our cast is going to be DESTROYED! And I will laugh."**

 **0000**

 **A Houndoom is seen licking water from the toilet.**

 **0000**

"D-did anyone just hear howling?" Eevee asked nervously.

"Nah. Don't worry Eevee you'll be fine. Just your imagination," Infernape said dismissively as he he skipped along.

Ampharos' stomach grumbled. "Man I'm so hungry. What are we gonna eat?"

Frogadier grabbed his arm, flinching in shock. "Ow! But uh hey, look at those!"

Ahead of them were several bushes, berries growing on them.

Infernape ran forward, plucking a few. He threw one in the air, planning to catch it in his mouth.

But suddenly it was floating in the air, out of the monkey's reach.

Slowking threw away the fruit with his mind. "Be careful! They may be poisonous!"

"Well then what do YOU suggest we do," moaned Lopunny. "I'm STARVING!"

Slowking rolled his eyes. "Simple. Bulbasaur taste tests the food. Being a poison type, he will not be exposed to to the toxins."

Bulbasaur caught one of the berries with his vines, biting into it.

"This one is okay!"

The Seviper's cheered, each grabbing as many berries as they could carry.

 **0000**

" **Slowking is becoming quite clever, isn't he?" Carbink mused. "He's certainly no longer dead weight. I need to take him out….and quickly…"**

 **0000**

"I would walk five hundred miles!"

"An' I would walk five hundred more!"

"To see the-"

"Shut up!" Braixen snapped, to Munchlax and Bidoof, who had been singing that same _damn_ song for SO LONG.

"I liked that song," Swampert said mildly, dragging along Shuckle's wagon.

"Yeah so did I," Braixen shot back. "three hours ago!"

"Are we there yet?" Whined Shuckle. "My leg is asleep."

"You're being CARRIED!" Shouted Minccino incredulously as Scrafty chuckled.

Umbreon's eyes flashed. "If you idiots are done yapping around, Grovyle has something to say."

Grovyle dropped down from the tree she was scouting in. "We were heading in the wrong direction for the past half an hour. I know the general direction, but I have no idea how far it was at this point."

Minccino scowled at Tepig. "If he hadn't ruined the map, we wouldn't be in this situation!"

Tepig rolled his eyes. "I already apologized, didn't I Sheila?"

Sableye giggled. "I guess you can say there's no use crying over spilt milk! Get it, because he spilled milk all over the-"

"We all get it, Sableye," drawled Ninjask, still rubbing his head painfully as he sat in Shuckle's wagon.

"Speaking of which, why don't you fly ahead?" Minccino said, arching an eyebrow. "With a bird's eye view, the campsite shouldn't be so hard to find."

Ninjask continued to rub his head.

"...Well?" Asked Minccino, folding her arms.

"I think I have a concussion," muttered Ninjask petulantly.

Minccino threw up her arms. "Ugh! Fine! But if we lose, you're toast! And where the hell is Gallade!?"

"Behind you."

Gallade moved from behind them, slashing across the trunk of a tree with his blades.

"What was THAT for?" Asked Munchlax.

Gallade's single eye focused on the food critic. "Marking our progress so we will not get lost on the way back to camp."

"Whoa…." Shuckle gasped. "It's like…. hardcore Hansel and Gretel…"

Grovyle turned, eyes lighting up in shock.

"Y-you, cut through every tree we've passed? For the last. Three. HOURS?"

Gallade nodded.

Minccino bit her lip. "C'mon Grovyle let's scout on ahead."

The grass type was supported by the normal type as the two left, sniffling to herself.

Swampert cleared his throat. "While keeping track of where we've been wise, if I might ask, could you do it in a nonviolent way?"

"And how would I do that?" Gallade asked dryly.

"Easy," interjected Scrafty. "Just use the marshmallows." He gestured to the bag of treats at the edge of the wagon.

Munchlax grabbed the bag and held it to his stomach. "I thought you didn't want to make things _violent,"_ he hissed.

Scrafty smirked. "You aren't exactly threatening, tubby."

Munchlax punched Scrafty in the face, who fell with a cry of pain. Some of campers tried not to laugh, as Swampert pulled Munchlax into a full nelson.

"THAT THREATENING ENOUGH FOR YA!?" Munchlax growled. Swampert tightened his grip.

"Calm yourself...you know we have no other choice."

Munchlax went limp in Swampert's arms. "I know…"

Swampert released him, helping Scrafty to his feet. "Are you alright?"

Scrafty was sporting a black eye. "Damn….that cub can sure pack a wallop. Gallade can I borrow an eyepatch?" 

"No."

Scrafty flipped him the bird and lit a cigarette.

Shuckle patted Munchlax on the shoulder. "There, there. We can get you more marshmallows when we get back."

Bidoof looked amazed. "You jes' plum knocked him right out! Where did ya learn t' do that?"

Despite the situation, Munchlax grinned. "Rocky!"

0000

Lucario hummed, looking at the map. "We should be close!"

Lopunny moaned in relief. "Thank Arceus! My BLISTERS have blisters!" 

Lucario chuckled. "Remember, we're not done yet. We still have to find shelter and food."

"I think we're okay in the food department," said Donphan, lumbering past.

Lucario raised an eyebrow. "Really? I mean I know we got some berries, but we'd probably need more to-whoa."

She stared in surprise at the huge pile that Infernape and Ampharos had gathered, mushrooms, Oran berries, and Cheri berries being the most numerous. Bulbasaur burped, content with all of the poisonous fruit and fungi he had eaten. 

Lucario shrugged. "Touché. Guess we just need to find a shelter then. We should win this one."

Audino looked down to Eevee with a maternal smile. "You've been awfully quiet. Are you okay?"

"Oh….yeah," Eevee smiled shyly. "Just thinking."

"Well if you want to talk to someone about it…"

"I know. I'm good, thanks." Eevee said reassuringly.

Audino sighed. "Well I'd still like to talk. I've missed you these past few days."

Eevee gave her a look of astonishment. "Really?"

"Of course! You're a good friend after all!" Audino explained.

"Oh…well I've been training around Umbreon recently and….I'm sorry!" Eevee squeaked.

"Don't apologize! I'm happy with your improvement! You've come a long way," Audino said warmly.

"Sorry for apologizing…."

Audino giggled. "You don't need to apologize for that either."

 **0000**

 **Zorua made a gagging noise. "Oh my Arceus! How could someone be SO timid ALL the time!?"**

 **0000**

Audino patted the young fox. "Hmm...you ARE insecure, aren't you? Well I suppose the best way to gain confidence is for yourself is to take pride in something you love. Any interests? Skills?"

Eevee sighed. "I was raised with seven other brothers and sisters. They all found what they loved and evolved, but….nothing ever stuck with me. I was never a star swimmer like Vaporeon, as smart as Espeon, or even as beautiful as Glaceon. I just...never had anything special."

Audino thought for a moment. "But you have to have SOME passion. Everyone has SOMETHING."

Eevee blushed. "Well...I-I guess...photography…."

"That's so cool! Why didn't you say anything earlier!" Infernape said, running up to join them. A few of the other Sevipers looked on in mild interest.

Eevee twitched, feeling uncomfortable under attention she was getting. "I'm not that good…"

"Have you taken any pictures while you've been here?" Audino asked.

"A-a few…I just took Zorua's camera and-" She gasped, realizing what she had just said.

Zorua whirled around. "WHAT!? I want that back!"

Eevee nodded glumly, but Audino waved her off. "Zorua...this is something that Eevee loves to take part in, and you seem to have no use for it, so could you please just let her have it?"

Zorua growled. "Ugh. FINE! Whatever, I don't care."

Audino clapped her hands in joy. "Excellent! Eevee, show us some of the pictures!"

Eevee flinched. "O-kay…" She handed the cheap, disposable camera to Audino, who happily looked through it.

"Just don't be too disappointed."

"Disappointed?" Audino said gasping. "These are amazing!"

Infernape and Donphan crowded around, looking at the pictures with appreciation.

Eevee had apparently spent quite a long time on this.

There were many beautiful pictures of the island's wildlife, as well as many of the campers themselves. She had perfectly conveyed the emotions of what must have gone on at the time, all of them at perfect angles and with the right amount of light.

"With so much skill, precision….it's like magic…...aha! She must be a witch with this much sorcery!" Donphan exclaimed.

"Whoa….this one looks even better when you look at it from an angle," chirped Lopunny.

"I'm afraid she'll turn me into a newt," Donphan gasped.

"Huh….why are there so many pictures of Smeargle? He was eliminated second..." Ampharos asked skeptically.

"Oh…..no reason!" Eevee shouted quickly, blushing.

"WE NEED TO BURN THE WITCH!" Donphan roared.

"Okay, YOU need to chill," Slowking said, alarmed.

"GUUUUYS! WE FOUND IT!" Misdreavus shouted, floating high in the air. "We found it!"

"FINALLY!" moaned Lopunny, relieved. The campers broke through the trees, finding themselves in a clearing with a sign that said CAMPGROUNDS.

"Hey!" Frogadier protested. "Victini lied! There's nothing here!" 

**0000**

" **Whoooooops," said Victini, snickering. "Must have slipped my mind."**

 **0000**

"We can't rely on Victini for shelter," grumbled Charizard. "We'll have to find or build something. Let's split up and search, but don't go too far."

0000

"Well we're here," Announced Grovyle. "Aaaaaaaaaand there's nothing here. What are the odds?"

"Called it," Ninjask drawled as Swampert and Bidoof began removing the supplied from the wagon.

Minccino looked at her checklist. "So….we still need to get some provisions and a shelter."

Grovyle nodded, thinking. "I don't know...I don't like this place too much."

"How come?" Asked Sableye, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

"The location. We're right near the edge of a cliff face, which is pretty steep."

Sableye snickered. "There's a lot of room. You think someone would be dumb enough to fall off?"

Grovyle shook her head with good humor. "No. But what if someone sleepwalks, hmmm? And we don't have flashlights. The danger is still definitely there."

Sableye opened his mouth to argue, but it died in his throat.

"Anyway Gallade, I want you get some wood and build a fence or something and block it off. That should be enough."

"Very well," the quiet swordsman said.

Grovyle clapped her hands. "Bidoof, Tepig, Munchlax, Shuckle and Minccino, you guys set up the tent. Braixen and Scrafty can get a fire going. Swampert and I will find something to eat. Chop chop everyone!"

0000

"Guys I found something!" Frogadier called, cupping his hands to his mouth.

"THIS BETTER NOT BE ANOTHER JOKE!" Charizard roared. Misdreavus had cried wolf no less than eight times, revealing an uncanny ability to change her voice to accurate impressions of several other competitors.

"It's not I swear!" Frogadier said with a nervous ribbit. "I found some sort of cave!"

"Huh," said Charizard, walking up. "So it is. I suppose we've found our shelter."

"Rats." Misdreavus groaned. "I totally wasn't finished milking it yet!"

"Misdreavus…" Lucario huffed.

"Aw c'mon guys, don't have a cow!" Misdreavus said with a giggle.

"Misdreavus please…." moaned Ampharos.

"What you just want me to HOOF it? Is it because I BUTCHERED that one?"

Slowking rubbed his forehead. "Misdreavus if you don't go inside the cave I will throw you in there myself."

Misdreavus rolled her eyes. "Touchy! Fine, I'm going."

She floated in and gasped.

"Whoa….this place is big! Heh, Frogadier, you should really PATTY yourself on the back for finding this place! Ke ke ke!"

Slowking sighed, following her. "Wow….this cave IS rather spacious."

Charizard patted Infernape on the shoulder. "We'll take the lead, and we'll use our fire for light."

Slowking thought for a moment. "Carbink?"

The rock type, who had as always been floating off by himself, shook. "Huh?"

"You're kind live in caves. Perhaps you can guide us?"

Carbink nodded. "Uh….sure. I can see just fine, so let me help guide!"

The Seviper's followed the small rock type, taking them deeper in the cave. Donphan stayed behind, and with a grunt of effort rolled a boulder in front, blocking the entrance.

0000

"Munchlax! Help out!" Minccino snapped, tangled in the tent.

Needless to say, progress on setting up the tent was not going well. Tepig and Bidoof had gotten into a sword fight with the poles, and Shuckle was nowhere to be found, trapped underneath the tent.

"Yeah, yeah…" Munchlax mumbled, tapping his phone. "I'm almost done with this level."

"MUNCHLA-OW!" Minccino cried out in pain as Tepig ducked and Bidoof's pole struck her in the skull.

"Oh no! Sorry there, must've missed…."

Minccino rubbed her temple. "Guys we NEED to focus! Can't you guys just be serious for ONE night!?"

"Oh come off it love," Tepig said, rolling his eyes. "You have a pole so far up your ass it just hit you in the face."

"Hit my… what? Tepig we can't afford to lose this! You guys are on the chopping block anyway!"

"Would YOU vote for me if we ended up losing?" Tepig asked pointedly. Minccino blushed, looking down.

Tepig winked at Bidoof, who's mouth was open in astonishment. "Ya can all learn a thing or two."

"Oh go suck a Kangaroo!" Minccino snapped, whirling around and stalking off, before spinning and staring at the huge bonfire standing in the center of camp.

Scrafty nudged her. "Braixen went a little overboard."

Minccino rubbed her eyes. "I….can see that."

Braixen herself sprinted forward, tossing another log in the flames.

"Uh...Braixen? Tone it down a little, okay?" Minccino asked hesitantly.

"Braixen, what the HELL!" Grovyle shouted, running into view with Swampert behind her.

Braixen stuck out her tongue as Minccino grabbed Grovyle's shoulders. "Did you find food?"

Grovyle smiled, gesturing to Swampert, who had several large fish in his arms.

Minccino smirked. "Good. Now if we can just get this tent set up…."

Shuckle waved an arm frantically. "I got it, guys!"

"How the Hell…..?" Scrafty muttered. Swampert chuckled.

The tent was now set up perfectly, Shuckle rubbing the sweat off his brow in front of it.

"Shuckle you did that…..all by yourself?" Minccino asked skeptically. Shuckle nodded vigorously.

"Yeah! None of you guys were gonna do it!"

Braixen tapped a finger to her chin. "But...all by yourself?

"Yup!" Shuckle said earnestly. "I'm a master tactician!"

"But how would that help with-"

"Alright guys! Ready to help!" Shouted Munchlax, running forward.

Swampert patted him on the back. "We've already finished."

Minccino breathed a sigh of relief. "We should be good then. Good work, everyone!" 

Tepig wrapped an arm around her. "Since that's taken care of, why don't we kick back and relax? You look like you need some rest and relaxation."

Minccino raised an eyebrow. "That sounds nice, but we're in the middle of the woods. How-?"

Tepig winked at Shuckle. "Get em."

Shuckle whistled to Munchlax and Bidoof, who immediately ran over to his wagon, pulling out several large cartons.

Tepig took off his fedora, revealing a bottle of Moomoo milk on his head. Grabbing it, he took a swig.

"I brought drinks."

"Whoa!" Shouted Braixen, running to the cartons of milk alongside Grovyle.

Minccino raised an eyebrow. "Tepig….? This is milk, not alcohol. You-you know that right?"

Tepig shook his head. "Strong stuff, this. We'll be rotten in no time."

"Rotten?" Asked Munchlax.

Tepig rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean! Pissed, full, bombed out, become a cot case!"

The others stared at him, uncomprehendingly.

Umbreon sighed, rolling her eyes. "He means drunk."

"Ohhhhhhhh…." said the other campers as one.

Tepig tipped his hat. "That I did. Now who's game?"

"Hold on a moment…" Swampert rumbled. "Is anyone underage?"

"The three stooges are…" Grovyle said uncertainly.

Bidoof nodded. "I reckon so…."

Shuckle and Bidoof sighed.

Minccino nudged Grovyle. "Well we're just drinking _milk,_ aren't we?"

She winked at Tepig, who grinned, high fiving her.

"Niiiiiiiice."

"What can I say?" Minccino smiled mischievously. "I'm a lawyer. Loopholes are my specialty."

Tepig whooped. "Let's have a right old time!" 

**0000**

 **Minccino gave a sigh of relief. "Call me immature, but I could use a break. Seriously. These guys are like CHILDREN!"**

 **0000**

 **Shuckle sniffed. "MINCCINO! BIDOOF TOOK MY BUCKET! MAKE HIM GIVE IT BACK!"**

 **0000**

 **Minccino was yanking on her hair. "RRRRGH!"**

 **0000**

Carbink whistled. "Guys? I found the end!"

Charizard grunted in affirmation. "Good. We can set up camp here."

The Seviper's let out an exhausted sigh as they flopped down. Infernape and Frogadier went to work, passing around rations.

"Hey! Can we look around a bit?" Asked Misdreavus. "This cave is sure….snrk…..AMOOSING!"

"Yeah!" Said Donphan with a moment of thought. "I shall go on a quest to seek underground treasure for the Queen!"

Charizard groaned, rubbing his head. "Fine….anything to shut you two up. Just-anyone who leaves, pair up okay? We don't want anyone getting lost."

Donphan walked off with Carbink, Slowking searched with Frogadier, and Misdreavus simply faded into the shadows with a "fuck da police!"

The others awkwardly sat around Infernape, using the top of his head as a campfire.

Audino munched on her share of berries with a hum of satisfaction. "These are delicious! You sure picked them well, Infernape."

Infernape blushed. "Aww….gee."

Bulbasaur flopped down on his stomach. "Meh, I prefer a bit of poison in mine. It's pretty good when it's not killing you, ha ha!"

Zorua gave him an angry look. "Oh so you're saying you don't like it!? Infernape took a lot of time preparing it!"

Bulbasaur, stunned, shook his head. "No, I-"

"Oh, I get it! It's because you think you are too GOOD for it, eh? That you should eat only fruit fit for someone as rich as yourself?"

Bulbasaur winced. "That's not what I meant at all, I-"

But the others were now giving him suspicious look. Bulbasaur faltered, turning away to hide his angry tears.

 **0000**

 **Zorua huffed. "Oh don't look at me like that. He was getting too popular."**

 **0000**

 **Bulbasaur roared. "THAT BITCH! All they do is hold what I say against me because I'm rich! Why don't you die in a hole you SKANK!" He breathed heavily. "Wow that was a little…...wow."**

 **0000**

Frogadier and Slowking were making pleasant conversation as they wandered around one of the dark corridors of the cave.

"So Shelder, you've been pretty quiet recently. How have you been?" Frogadier asked eventually.

Shelder winked from his position on Slowking's head. "Yeah! But since Slowking's improved so much I haven't had to do much! Eventually I'll just fade into his subconscious."

Frogadier grinned. "Well it's great to see you doing so well. You've grown up so much from that sleepy Slowpoke."

Slowking, lost in thought, nodded distractedly. "MMhmmm…..hmmm…."

"What's wrong?" Asked Frogadier, guarded.

Slowking stroked his cheek. "Just….sensing with my psychic powers….this is rather strange."

"What's up?"

Slowking's eyes glowed with power. "I am sensing…..strong feelings of negativity. Coldness. In a place as narrow and closed in as a cave, these feelings are far more prominent. Someone here is quite the schemer."

"Probably Zorua, eh?" Frogadier asked with mild interest.

Slowking gave him a look. "Hmm….that is what I thought as well, but the problem with that, is _she's a dark type._ She is immune to any sort of psychic penetration. I'm afraid it must be someone else."

Frogadier looked puzzled. "But who-?" His eyes widened, seeing something Slowking could not.

"Stalagmites, look out!" Frogadier tackled Slowking out of the way as they fell, shattering on the ground where they had been standing mere moments before.

Frogadier breathed a sigh of relief as he helped Slowking to his feet. "That was close."

Slowking nodded. "Thank you, though I must tell you those were _stalactites,_ not stalagmites."

Frogadier rolled his eyes. "My mistake."

Slowking chuckled. "You do certainly seem to have excellent timing when it comes to these things. You're quite the savior of the team, I hear."

Frogadier scratched his head suspicious. "I don't know about that but yeah! I like help anyone who's in need!"

Frogadier turned around. "We should probably head back anyway, we don't want to go too far!"

Slowking watched the leaving Frogadier with a complex expression.

"Hmm…."

0000

"Whoa! What are those!?" Carbink gasped in shock. There were gems everywhere, especially beautiful rubies all around the small opening in the cave.

Donphan trumpeted. "Yes! A worthy treasure fit for a king! T'is a shame we cannot take it. Probably illegal."

Carbink's gaze didn't leave the gemstones. "Yeah…..probably."

An idea was forming in his head, making a mental note to return here later, without Donphan this time.

The elephant in the room (MISDREAVUS GET OFF MY KEYBOARD) snorted.

"Well I suppose we should return. It was good to talk to you though. You know you HAVE been very quiet recently though. Are you doing okay?"

Carbink blinked. "Oh….I don't know...just melancholy I guess. Haxorus leaving really hit me hard, and I wasn't expecting him to leave so soon. I'll be fine, this team is pretty nice, anyway."

Donphan gave him a suspicious look, but nodded. "While a silent warrior is cool and deadly, you don't quite fit the part, do you? Talk with us more, as you've said, we're not bad people." He waved his trunk over his head and stomped away.

Carbink rolled his eyes, but followed.

 **0000**

 **Carbink winked in the confessional. "I have a plan. It's hard enough for a Pokemon like me to compete as it is, but I don't stand a CHANCE against Mega Evolutions. I need to get rid of as many as possible."**

 **0000**

" **I must commend Carbink on his acting ability," said Donphan gravely. "But I've seen enough performances to know when one is faking."**

 **The Elephant rubbed his head with his trunk. "What will I do? I'll certainly keep an eye on him, and I'm quite an actor as well. And as we all know…."**

 **Donphan chuckled. "Ignorance is one of the easiest parts to play."**

 **0000**

Zorua scowled at Infernape. "Can you be still for like….TWO seconds? You're giving me a migraine!"

Infernape was twitching. "I can't stay cooped up in a place like this for too long. I gotta MOVE, man…."

Ampharos sighed. "Yeah….I thought this would be a bit more exciting. I'm bored."

"We should all get some rest," Charizard said, lying on his back. "We'll need to get up at the crack of dawn if we want to get back to camp before the other team."

With sighs, the Striking Sevipers lied around in a circle, trying to sleep.

"This suuuuuuuuuucks….." Lopunny moaned.

"Well at the very least...the Zangeese aren't better off than us!" Misdreavus said brightly.

"Yeah," said Ampharos chuckling. "I bet they're having a MUCH worse time than us."

0000

"DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!" Braixen, Sableye, and Ninjask chanted as Minccino and Scrafty faced each other, downing their drinks.

Scrafty slumped over, his face hitting the ground as Minccino leaned back and shouted. "BOOYA!"

The Zany Zangoose had quickly taking a liking to the Moomoo Milk, quickly becoming intoxicated. Minccino had turned out to be a phenomenal drinker, challenging everyone to contests. Swampert quietly helped Scrafty off to the side, as the Zangoose clapped appreciatively.

Tepig whooped. "Where the hell did this all come about?" 

"Party! Woohoo! If we have it, we might as well drink it!" Minccino slurred.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him on the mouth.

"Okay, how much have you had to drink?" Tepig asked with a dazed grin.

"Not enough for what you want, partner," she hissed in his ear, slapping him on the butt and stumbling off.

"Who's next!?"

 **0000**

 **Swampert chuckled. "This was….an interesting experience, to say the least."**

 **0000**

" **ARCEUS FREAKING CHRIST I LOVE THAT WOMAN!" Tepig exclaimed.**

 **0000**

The spirits were higher than the Zangeese had ever had before, even when they won the first challenge. Braixen was talking animatedly to Grovyle, Ninjask and Sableye were betting on the many drinking competitions that Minccino took part in. Even Gallade was enjoying himself, leaning against a tree and simply watching his comrades as he nursed his drink.

Bidoof and Munchlax were happily blowing bubbles with straws in their milk as Shuckle drank deeply from the milk in his bucket. 

"I don't get it. Why am I not drunk?" Shuckle asked, UDDERLY (DAMMIT MISDREAVUS) confused.

Bidoof twirled the straw in his bottle. "Cuz we ain't of age yet. We ain't allowed to get drunk yet."

Munchlax shrugged. "It's just milk, Shuckle."

"But-" 

"Just milk."

"But I want to drink my problems away," whined Shuckle.

"My Pa says you don't get to do that till yer married," said Bidoof with a snort.

"What PROBLEMS are you even talking about?" Asked Munchlax.

Shuckle waved his limbs frantically. "Just how hopeless of a chance I have at winning this thing!"

Munchlax and Bidoof looked at each other. "C'mon, it's not THAT

bad. You have just as much of a chance as the rest of us. I mean just because you're slow…"

"Small…."

"Physically weak…."

"An' kinda funny lookin'..."

"No! That's not what I meant!" Said Shuckle with a groan. "I mean….look at the name of the author of this STORY!"

Munchlax and Bidoof blinked, until the lightbulbs flicked on their brains. "Ohhh…."

"Yeah. Do you know what would happen if I won? WORLD WAR IV THAT'S WHAT! It would be so bad that it would SKIP World War III!"

The other two looked at each other, not sure of what to say.

"So I'll sit here….pretending to get drunk, slowly dying inside…."

His head fell with a splash into a bucket of milk and bubbles rose to the surface as he mumbled something.

 **0000**

 **Munchlax scratched his head. "Jeez….he looks pretty messed up. I hope he gets over it quick-these guys are looking for an excuse to vote someone off."**

 **0000**

Umbreon sat alone, her eyes set to the edge of the clearing. With a grunt, Swampert sat down next to her.

"Not much of a party Pokemon?" He asked kindly. Umbreon snorted.

"SOMEONE has to be sober on this team. And I'm not getting shit-faced and making a fool out of myself like Minccino over there. What about you?"

Swampert chuckled. "Honestly in the same situation as you. Whenever me and my friends went out drinking it always seemed to fall on me to get everyone home. So force of habit I suppose. If I'm not going to drink, I may as well help the others. It's not going to be a fun morning."

Umbreon nodded listlessly as Swampert cleared his throat.

"But it seems like you could use the most help of all. Are you alright?"

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm fine. Just introverted. And pissed off because I can't sleep in a bed tonight, not that they were that comfortable to begin with."

Swampert shrugged. "Very well. You just seemed…."

"Antisocial? Apathetic? Sociopathic? Hurt?" Umbreon said as if she'd heard it a thousand times.

"No….the word I was going to use was lonely," Swampert replied gently.

"I'm introverted. It's just how I am. Have you ever seen a Pokemon like ME in one of your 'outings'?"

"Fair point. But still...if you need someone to talk to…..you do not have to be alone."

Umbreon's eyes narrowed. "I _like_ to be alone."

Swampert sighed, rising. "As you wish."M

"Though you could stay...if you wanted too…." Umbreon said, almost shyly.

Swampert smiled, sitting back down. "As you wish."

Umbreon rolled her eyes but smiled slightly.

 **0000**

" **Swampert is cool," said Umbreon with a shrug. "He's kind, but also quiet. So you know…..I can TOLERATE him."**

 **0000**

 **Minccino can be seen throwing up in the toilet.**

 **0000**

"Alright, it's your turn, pig!" Minccino slurred, grabbing Tepig's shoulder and t e spinning him around. Tepig tipped his hat.

"This should be fun."

Minccino snatched up a bottle of milk. "I'm gonna drink you DOWN UNDER!"

"Nya ha ha!" Sableye cackled, dropping to the ground. "I GET IT!"

Just as the two were about to begin, barking rang out in the distance.

"What the….hell?" asked Ninjask as he tried to see through the fog over his eyes.

Umbreon's eyes snapped open. "HOUNDOOM!" 

The firey dogs lunged forward, barking and howling, causing mayhem within the Zangoose.

"How did they find us!?" Grovyle asked, ducking under a jet of fire. "They'd need something to track us DOWN!"

"That would be the marshmallows they left as a trail," said Gallade, sprinting forward and delivering a kick that sent a Houndoom tumbling back.

"YOU DID WHAT!?" Grovyle shouted.

"Hey it was better than continuing to carve into trees!" Scrafty shot back, clutching his head in pain before being knocked to the ground by a Houndoom.

"No it's not! That's like, the first rule of camping!" Grovyle shook her head in disbelief. "Leaving food attracts wild animals!"

"Hey! I take offense to that!" shouted one of the angry Houndoom.

"I don't care!" Grovyle snapped.

"Quickly!" came Shuckle's voice. "Form a circle around the tent and don't let any get through! If they light the tent on fire we're toast! Both literally and figuratively."

Fortunately, the Zangoose listened, backpedalling. They managed to hold up well at first, but the drunk competitors were beginning to falter. Braixen stumbled around, Sableye was slashing in the complete wrong direction, and Ninjask was barely flying.

Gallade jumped ahead, slashing through some Houndoom with ease, but one of them glowed in a harsh light, mega evolving.

Gallade's single eye widened in fear and dove out of the way as Mega Houndoom shot out a jet of powerful fire at the wall of Zangeese, stopping only thanks to Swampert's protect.

Minccino stumbled, disoriented and somewhat confused, as a Houndoom jumped for her, his teeth baring.

Minccino jumped out of the way, narrowly dodging another flamethrower. The Houndoom cornered her, drool dripping out of its maw.

Minccino gulped. "You're taking this gig REALLY seriously, aren't you? Seriously, are you from Venusaur Studios? Because this is some FANTASTIC actingHonestly if Donphan were here he'd-"

The Houndoom roared, jumping forward, but suddenly Tepig rammed into the canine with a grunt, throwing it away from Minccino.

"That's not a fire type." The dark type snorted, leaping towards Tepig and shooting another flamethrower. Tepig's eye twitched, but the fire did little damage. Grabbing Houndoom by the tail, he spun, throwing him into a tree and shooting out fire from his nose, blasting Houndoom before he hit the ground.

"This is a fire type."

Minccino breathed a sigh of relief as Tepig cracked his neck, grinning. But then Mega Houndoom jumped out of nowhere, tackling the fire type and crushing him against the same tree with a bark. Tepig gasped in pain as Minccino stared in shock.

Minccino growled as she shook out of her stupor, lunging forward and slapping Mega Houndoom across the face. The dog, caught by surprise, dropped the injured Tepig and whirled around. Minccino slid under his legs using tickle with her tail against his belly.

Mega Houndoom fell over, laughing as Minccino grabbed Tepig. Mega Houndoom recovered, managing to shoot a flamethrower that Minccino rolled to avoid.

Minccino found herself pinned against the fence that Gallade managed to build, clutching Tepig by the middle. Mega Houndoom advanced on her, and Minccino's mind immediately began grasping straws. Unfortunately, her mind was still foggy from the alcohol(milk.) There was only one clear option that she could think of.

"Hey….sheila? What the hell are-?" Tepig began to ask before Minccino turned, jumping over the fence as Mega Houndoom performed another flamethrower. Minccino and Tepig tumbled over the cliff and into the river below….

"MINCCINO!" Braixen screamed, as Umbreon tackled Mega Houndoom, right into Swampert's path as he used a powerful Earthquake. The earth trembled as many Houndoom were sent flying backward. Mega Houndoom stumbled with a yelp, but managed to remain on his feet.

Swampert stared the Mega Pokemon down. "Leave." The water type growled.

Mega Houndoom turned and ran back to join his fleeing pack. Swampert relaxed, sagging.

"We have to find them!" Sableye shouted frantically as Grovyle shook her head.

"They'll be fine, and even if they aren't, the produces are won't let anyone get hurt, not really. In the meantime, we still have to complete our challenge. It's what Minccino would want."

As the Zangeese scattered, Shuckle stayed behind.

"You make it sound like it's already too late," he said with a sigh.

"Hey wait a minute! Can someone help me get back to the-god dammit!"

0000

Donphan snorted awake. "Did anyone hear barking."

None of the other Seviper's responded, and Donphan quickly fell back asleep.

E0000

Minccino burst out of the river with a gasp, still holding onto Tepig. He was shivering in the cold, and his eyes were clso  
"Oh c-come on! You always talked about how g-great you were, now where's that skill now!" Minccino snapped. Tepig didn't respond.

Minccino sighed. "Ugh. Guess it's up to me then."

She managed to drag the injured fire type up a small slope, sighing in relief at the sight of a small cave…

 **0000**

" **This challenge was boring," Infernape said grumpily. "Like REALLY boring. I was really hyped for some excitement, ya know?"**

 **0000**

"C'MON CAMPERS WAKE UP! IT'S ABOUT TIME WE LEAVE!" Grovyle shouted, banging pots and pans together.

The Zany Zangoose team rose, some with groans. The moomoo milk had done its job, and many of them were hung over, notably Scrafty, Sableye, and Ninjask.

"WOOHOO!" Bidoof screamed loudly, causing Sableye to hiss in discomfort.

"LES' WIN THIS ONE AN' BRING DOWN ANOTHER SEVIPER!"

"Keep it down," hissed Scrafty as Ninjask moaned in pain.

Swampert cast a worried look. "I hope they're okay…."

0000

Charizard flew ahead, looking at the map.

"We're making good time! As long as there are no distractions, we should win this!"

"Woohoo!" Shouted Infernape, easily keeping Charizard's pace. "Third time in a row!"

Frogadier glanced behind him. "Wait a minute….where's Carbink?"

Lucario stopped. "Did he lose us?"

"UGH!" Zorua snarled. "I KNEW something would go wrong!"

But Carbink suddenly flew out of the trees, breathing heavily. "It's okay, I'm fine!"

Lucario and Frogadier nodded, running forward again, but Donphan cast a suspicious look before rolling off.

0

Tepig woke up, his eyes not adjusted to the light pouring into the cave. He tried to move, but pain shot through his shoulder.

The pig looked down, and smiled. Minccino was snuggled up to him, mumbling something in her sleep. Tepig stroked her fur, surprising himself by not having the urge to laugh.

"Good morning, sunshine," he said in a voice barely above a whisper.

Minccino's eyes slowly opened, and she jerked away from Tepig. "Hey what the hell is-AGH!" Minccino clutched her forehead.

"Oy! Don't try to force it!" Tepig called. Minccino had a LOT to drink last night.

The pig looked down, where his shoulder and front were wrapped in leaves as makeshift bandages. A small fire had been built as well, surprisingly well made.

"Did...you do this by yourself?" Asked Tepig.

Minccino nodded, clutching her head.

"While….drunk? That's impressive love," Tepig said with a low whistle.

"Don't….remind me," Minccino muttered. "We'd better...head back to camp or we'll be the ones holding back our team."

Tepig nodded, his smile not fading. "Give me a hand?"

Minccino rolled her eyes, but supported him as they left the cave.

Minccino groaned, staring at the river ahead of them. "Forgot about that."

Tepig gave her an easy smile. " Oh she'll be apples. Get some sticks together love, we're making a raft!"

Minccino snorted, rolling her eyes. "You act like it's so easy."

0000

Victini looked through his binoculars, grinning as he saw the two teams sprinting forwards. This would be close.

Shuckle leaned over in his wagon. "Attack now!"

Gallade, Swampert, and Umbreon turned directions, attacking the other team and catching them completely by surprise.

Lucario managed to punch Swampert in the jaw, knocking him back a few feet. "It's a distraction! Keep going!"

"CODE BUCKET!" Shuckle screamed, as Bidoof, Sableye, and Munchlax hurled them over to the Seviper's, bringing down Ampharos and Slowking. Shuckle threw his own bucket with a spin, hitting both Carbink and Lopunny at the same time.

"How do you have that many buckets?" Scrafty asked, scratching his head. "Didn;t Minccino only let you have three?"

Shuckle nodded vigorously. "YEP! I just put more buckets INSIDE the three buckets! Keep firing!"

Braixen used her psychic powers to slam one into Lucario's head. "Final sprint, guys!"

The Zangeese used the distraction to their advantage, sprinting past the finish line and landing next to Victini.

"We did it!" Grovyle cheered. The Zangeese laughed in celebration.

"Not so fast…"Victini said with a snicker. "I think you're missing a couple Geese." 

Grovyle slapped a hand to her forehead. "SHIT!"

Charizard's eyes widened. "We still have a chance, go!"

The Seviper's ran forward as one, ready to cross the finish line…

"LOOK!" Sableye chattered excitedly. Down the river….Minccino and Tepig were sitting in a makeshift raft, moving at alarming speeds…..They were going to pass the Sevipers!

Suddenly the raft erupted in flames, Tepig and Minccino diving off to abandon it. Tepig grunted in pain as he landed on his bad shoulder. Minccino gasped, helping him quickly to his feet.

And finding herself face to face with Mega Houndoom.

"Shit."

The Seviper's who had previously been standing still in shock, shook themselves off.

"GO!" Charizard shouted. "We can win this RIGHT NOW!"

The Seviper's crossed the finish line, (Audino somewhat hesitantly.)

"We won right!?" Asked Lopunny excitedly. Victini snickered.

"Well…."

Charizard looked up in shock. "FROGADIER! Get over here, RIGHT NOW!"

Frogadier had not moved, clenching his fist. When he heard Charizard's words, he flinched, but did not listen.

"FROGADIER!"

"I'm sorry," Frogadier whispered, before sprinting away from the finish line, heading right towards Mega Houndoom and the two Zangeese.

Mega Houndoom barked, snapping at Minccino with his teeth. She threw Tepig away to safety, dodging to the side. Spinning, she smacked the Mega Pokemon with her tail hard.

Mega Houndoom whimpered in pain, but bit her hard in the tail. As Minccino gasped in pain, he jerked his head, throwing her into a feebly stirring Tepig.

Mega Houndoom rose over their heads, but suddenly was knocked back by a jet of water that Frogadier shot, drenching him from head to toe.

Frogadier landed between the two and Mega Houndoom with a glare.

"Go! Get out of here!"

Minccino gulped. "Yeah, okay."

She grabbed Tepig, sprinting away as Frogadier faced off against Mega Houndoom.

Frogadier moved quickly, dodging Mega Houndoom's first burst of fire, but was caught off guard by the canine's lunge that bit into his arm. Frogadier used several water shurikens that struck Mega Houndoom's face hard, but the canine did not relinquish his grip. With a jerk, Mega Houndoom cracked Frogadier's arm and shook it, effectively breaking it. Frogadier fell limp with a gasp of pain.

"WHOA WHOA WHOA! Too far!" Victini called out in shock as Hariyama ran out of nowhere, punching Mega Houndoom with enough force to knock him out cold instantly.

"Medic!" Victini called.

"Umm….that's just me," said Audino nervously, before clapping her hands together, suddenly business like.

"Quickly! I need him on a stretcher, stat!"

Two interns came with a stretcher, dragging an ashen faced Frogadier off, followed by Audino.

Victini blinked awkwardly. "Well she gets automatic immunity."

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Lopunny screeched.

Victini laughed nervously. "Oh yeah...about that….meet the Houndoom pack! These guys are the best in…..the best in the business….geez I don't want lawsuits."

"Hey…." said Bulbasaur. "I know you guys. You were in a lot of my dad's movies."

"Wait….that's your dad's job? Film director?" asked Lucario in interest.

"Yeah….Venusaur productions…" Bulbasaur said, his eyes narrowed.

"Wait!" Gasped Ampharos. "You're Dad is THAT Venusaur? He's LEGENDARY!"

Victini snorted in disgust.

Scrafty raised an arm. "You said Audino gets immunity….does that mean…?"

Victini smiled. "That's right. Since Tepig and Minccino got here before Frogadier...The Zany Zangoose WIN!"

The Zangeese didn't exactly cheer, instead an exhausted sort of murmur. The Sevipers looked miserable.

"Well….time to pick someone to vote! Campfire ceremony is TONIGHT!"

0000

Audino sighed. "Well that's it. I wish I could do more, but…."

Frogadier sighed, looking at his cast. "Thank you Audino. You've done so much."

Audino sniffed. "You know don't you? What's going to happen at the elimination ceremony?"

Frogadier rose off his bed. "Yeah….I know."

Tepig grunted. "Hey love. Nice to see you care enough to visit me."Minccino blushed. "I do NOT care that much. Honestly I-HUH!?"

Tepig was holding her hand.

"Listen….I never got to thank you for what happened. You saved my life probably. Though I could have done it myself of course." He added as an undertone.

Minccino pulled her hand away. "Yeah yeah….you're welcome…"

Tepig coughed. "So uh...sheila….why? Why did ya save me after all I-all that's happened?"

Minccino's blush became even greater. "I-well obviously I didn't want to risk losing the challenge….and-"

"Minccino."

Minccino immediately stopped, looking up. For once, Tepig's cocky expression was gone, and she realized with a pang that for the first time he had called her by her name.

Minccino rubbed her arm. "Because I love you, idiot." She sat down at his bed.

"Arceus, I hate you."

Tepig laughed softly, putting a trotter on her hand again. "I hate you too."

Minccino laughed a little. "I-I don't know if I can do this Tepig. I'm just….so used to being independent that I….I just don't know...what I'm doing."

"Oy!" said Tepig suddenly. "Ya don't have to stop being independent. My mum and dad, bless 'em, live as far away from each other as possible, and they still find a way to love each other, so-"

Minccino leaned in and kissed Tepig softly, lasting for a few moments. "I don't WANT to stay away from you."

Tepig's smile was a lot more genuine than his usual smirks. "Then we'll make it work, eh love?"

Minccino smiled too, snuggling up to him. "Yeah, yeah…"

 **0000**

 **Minccino rubbed her shoulder. "This….has been coming on for a while now...I've let Tepig get under my skin but….I think he just was having trouble expressing himself."**

 **She smiled bravely. "Who knows how well this will work, but it'll be one hell of a ride!"**

 **0000**

Victini rubbed his hands together. "Who's ready for an elimination ceremony!? You guys may have one the last two...but SOMEONE caused you to lose this one…"

Frogadier frowned unhappily, still wearing his cast. Several of the other Sevipers gave him dirty looks.

" Audino has automatic immunity, so you can grab yours first. The first Poffin goes to…..Ampharos."

Ampharos grinned. "First? Nice!"

"Lopunny…..Zorua…..Bulbasaur."

Victini smirked. "Getting scared? Donphan, Slowking, and Lucario, you shouldn't be, because you're safe! Infernape, get on up here as well."

Infernape's cheer was the loudest, before he was cuffed on the head by Donphan.

"Misdreavus, Eevee….and…..Charizard!" Victini crowed. The three went up, sighing in relief.

Only Carbink and Frogadier remained, glancing at each other nervously.

"Carbink, you aren't the strongest member of your team. In fact, some would say you are the weakest. Frogadier, you held back your team from victory, AND you have that injury. The final poffin goes to….."

Frogadier let out a nervous ribbit. Carbink shuddered.

"...Carbink. Frogadier, it's time to leave." 

Carbink slumped down, exhausted and relief. Frogadier rose and simply nodded.

"I already packed my things."

As he turned to leave, Charizard spoke.

"Frogadier...this is nothing against you. You did what you had to, and everyone respects you for it. This was just...the best choice. I hope you understand that."

Frogadier gave him a small smile. "Don't worry I get it. Good luck everyone!"

And with that he was gone, headed for the docks.

 **0000**

 **Frogadier shook his head. "I made the right choice. I know I did. But it was a pyrrhic victory. If I had to vote for anyone, it would be Audino. She's such a good Pokemon...she deserves it, for certain." He gave the camera a final smile.**

" **Well….I'll be watching. Good luck everyone!"**

 **0000**

 **Carbink snickered. "That was close! But I'm not finished yet. Time to make my next move!"**

 **0000**

Sableye leaned back in his chair. "That's a tall order. What's the compensation?"

Carbink stared at him. "These."

With an effort, he tossed a bag to the ghost/dark type. Sableye giggled madly as he opened it, looking at the rubies inside.

"Yes….yes…."

Carbink looked expectantly. "So….will you do it?" But then he did a double take when he saw Sableye laughing hysterically.

"These are fake, bub. Completely synthetic."

"Wh-what!? But these...how could you possibly-"

"I can tell by it's luster. And look…" He scratched the ruby, a bit shaving off.

"That wouldn't work if it was the real deal. So...hehe….if you don't make a deal real soon things won't work out too well for you."

Carbink thought fast. "I-if I win I'll give you half my share!"

Sableye nodded. "Fair. But you're chances ain't high."

"Then….I'll make sure you and Misdreavus won't be eliminated...at least before the merge."

"And?" Asked Sableye….hungrily.

"FINE!" snapped Carbink. "I'll give you the idol."

Sableye giggled maniacally. "You have it?"

Carbink sighed. "Yes…" He pulled it out, showing it to the gem eater.

"And how do I know it's not fake?"

Carbink grit his teeth. "Skeptical, aren't you?""

"I'm proud of that. Now show me the proof."

Carbink pulled out two fake idols. "See? These are two exact replicas, while that one is different. Is that proof enough?"

Sableye grinned, snatching the idol. "That's right. But I don't take things on credit.""

Carbink's eyes narrowed. "But you'll do it, right?"

"Right as rain."

As Carbink turned, floating away, Sableye called his name.

"Now what?"

Sableye's gem eyes bore into Carbink's. "You're a crook, Carbink. And one of these days it's gonna catch up to you, just you watch."

Carbink huffed, floating away as Sableye's cackles rang out behind him.

0000

Wooohoooo! FINALLY, this one comes out! Sweet space Jesus this was not easy.

Frogadier leaves, which is sad. But necessary. And Tepig x Minccino is officially canon. Rejoice!

If you have any (no spoiler) questions, feel free to ask. Seriously, ask anything.

UNTIL NEXT TIME GUYS!

Frogadier: Review! I have to help that old lady cross the street!


	13. Chapter 13: The Cold War

Howdy folks! Here's Shuckle Master with another chapter of Total Pokkemon Island!

Sorry for the wait!

0000

Sableye slipped out of the Zangoose cabin, quietly as possible. It was dead of the night, and the imp had to move quickly. A sack was slung over his back as he became one with the shadows.

Eventually he arrived at his destination; the Striking Seviper cabin. Crawling away from the door, he jumped inside the open window that Carbink had left open for him as promised. Jumping off Carbink's empty bed, he pulled a stone out of his bag, one that greatly resembled a mega stone.

Sableye went to work, moving to the Pokemon capable of mega evolution and searching for their own stones and swapping them with the ones he stored in his sack. When he got to Audino, she began to wake up, mumbling something. Frantically, Sableye hit her over the head with a stone, knocking her out. Sighing in relief, he easily switched the two stones.

When he finally finished, he leapt out the window, smirking. Too easy. With that he darted out to the woods, needing to meet with Carbink.

 **0000**

 **Sableye held up one of his stones, smirking. "Beautiful, isn't it? Handcrafted by myself to look exactly like a mega stone. I was easily able to switch these with the other campers, though I left out Ampharos, Gallade and Lucario…." He trailed off, counting on his fingers. "Ampharos I thought wasn't necessary since he's already used his mega evolution. Lucario wears her mega stone on a necklace, and I couldn't even find Gallade…"**

 **He snickered. "But that doesn't mean I'm Carbink's henchmen. I carved a 'C' on every bedpost of a Pokemon I stole from. And even though I can't risk stealing Lucario's necklace, that doesn't mean I can't mess with her. Dealing with me wa a bad mistake Carbink."**

 **0000**

Donphan's eyes shot open to the sound of Lopunny screaming.

"Lucario, I swear I didn't steal your necklace. I don't know how it got on my bed-!"

She gulped, ducking under an aura sphere. Lucario's eyes were smoldering.

"Give it back!"

Lopunny shrieked, running out of the cabin and chased by Lucario. Misdreavus, who disliked Lopunny, was laughing hysterically. Ampharos gave a drowsy Slowking a strange look.

"I don't understand why she doesn't just give it back?"

Slowking chuckled. "Lopunny can be a bit scatterbrained."

He stretched. "Well, I'm going back to sleep. I may have a chance, now that-"

"CAMPERS! MEET ME IN THE MESS HALL FOR YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE! I'D HURRY, BECAUSE MUNCHLAX IS EATING ALL THE GOOD FOOD!"

Slowking's moan was muffled by the pillow. "Never mind then."

0000

Surprisingly, the campers were in good spirits at breakfast, a fact that greatly annoyed Victini. Minccino was talking animatedly to Grovyle and a twitchy Lopunny. Tepig on the other hand remained silent with a smug smile as many of the guys were trying to get details. Even Umbreon was socializing a little, talking mostly to Eevee and occasionally Audino. Braixen and Bulbasaur were secretly handing out pastries behind Hariyama's back.

Lopunny grinned at Minccino. "You know; I don't think I've ever seen you this happy. You really needed this didn't you?"

Minccino blushed, but her radiant smile didn't falter. "Oh hell yeah. If I knew dating Tepig would be like this, I would have jumped him on day one."

"I'm surprised, Min. You guys fight so much I was sure it would never work out," remarked Braixen, as Lopunny withered under a glare from Lucario.

"He's a sweetie once you get to know him," Minccino said with a wink. From across the room, Tepig coughed, spitting out the water he was drinking as Infernape and Ninjask snickered.

 **0000**

 **Tepig rubbed his arm. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."**

 **0000**

Ninjask gave Tepig a smirk. "Is that it, Tepig? Are you going soft on us?"

Tepig leaned back with an easy smile. "Reckon! But be careful. You could hurt a bloke's feelings with that tone. Like…. say, your brother?"

Ninjask gave him a murderous look a Infernape clutched his sides, laughing hysterically.

Meanwhile Sableye and Misdreavus were sitting alone, whispering to each other.

"So you got them all?" Misdreavus whispered quietly. Sableye nodded.

"Most of them. But keep an eye on Carbink, he's not who he seems. He DID promise to keep you in if I succeeded, so don't just boot him out just yet. But we need him gone by the merge."

Misdreavus nodded, but before she could respond Carbink and Ampharos came over.

"Hey guys!" said Carbink with what Sableye knew to be false enthusiasm. "We wanted to see what you guys were up to! Right Ampharos?"

Ampharos scratched his head, slightly confused. "Right?"

Misdreavus giggled. "Well that's a real SHOCKER! Nya ha! Get it?"

 **0000**

 **Ampharos groaned. "Now I remember why we don't hang out with Misdreavus."**

 **0000**

 **Misdreavus looked horrified. "I don't know WATT make him say that!"**

 **She tried to keep a straight face, but gave up, rolling on the floor laughing.**

 **0000**

 **Carbink gave the camera a stern look. "I know what that little bastard is trying to do. He may have done me a service, but I want him OUT. Those two NEED to be out before the merge. No one can know my secrets."**

 **0000**

Victini coughed, in an attempt to call attention to himself, but was largely ignored. Hariyama snorted, and swung his hands together in a loud and powerful clap that immediately stopped the campers cold.

"Thank you!" Victini drawled." Now Are you going to let me explain the challenge or what?"

"It's not like we have a choice…. You're pretty much paying us to listen to you," muttered Ninjask dismissively.

Victini didn't listen to the sarcastic bug. "Today is a two-part challenge! Meet me at the bottom of our snowy mountain in ten!"

"This island has a snowy mountain?" Asked Eevee, bewildered.

"That's right! And you'd better find it quick-if you're late, you're automatically eliminated!"

Eevee yelped in fear as Victini teleported away.

There was a silence as the campers all stared at each other.

Then everyone moved chaotically, desperate to be there on time.

 **0000**

 **Victini snickered evilly. "I love using my powers for evil!"**

 **0000**

" **I hate this show," muttered Umbreon with a sigh.**

 **0000**

"Oh hey guys!" said Victini, trying to look innocent and failing completely. "What's the rush?"

"Just get on with it," grumbled Scrafty.

"Right! Well as I'm sure you've all guessed, you guys have to climb up the mountain! The first team to arrive first gets a HUGE advantage in the second part of the challenge, so get cracking!"

The teams stared at the full height of the mountain, clouds swirling around the summit.

"Wonderful," grumbled Umbreon.

The two teams split up, climbing the mountain on opposite sides. The Seviper's got off to a decent start, Charizard clearing off a trail of ice and snow and allowing his team to follow behind.

The less experienced climbers, like Audino and Bulbasaur, followed after Charizard, while Lucario, Lopunny, and Infernape were able scale up the steep cliffs. Frogadier may have left, but he was not far from everyone's minds when they began to stumble; remembering that the friendly frog was no longer here to lend a hand.

Ampharos in particular was having a difficult time, tripping and falling down the slope over and over.

Misdreavus was not helping matters, floating near the electric sheep and cackling madly.

"Don't give up, yet! All you need is a SPARK of motivation, heehee."

Ampharos groaned, headfirst into the snow as Slowking sighed, lifting him with telekinesis.

"Misdreavus, will you PLEASE help us out? You're one of the only two fliers on this team, and Charizard has his own duty. Can't you think of something to do?"

"Hey!" Shouted Carbink, floating up. "What am I, chopped liver?"

Slowking blanched. "Oh. My apologies, C-Carbi-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN! You've just been so quiet as of late."

"Aww…. are you tired?" Misdreavus giggled. "Why not count Ampharos? Get it? Because he's a sheep?"

Zorua, who was several feet above them, called down. "Hey! What's the matter with you four, you're way behind!"

"Kill me," mumbled Ampharos.

 **0000**

 **Carbink's eye twitched. "She needs to go, too."  
0000**

 **Zorua leaned back, smirking. "Carbink's cute. This is the big leagues honey, and you don't stand a chance."**

 **0000**

The Zany Zangeese, on the other hand, were struggling. Though Swampert, Tepig and Grovyle were able to ascend the mountain easily, many others were struggling. Sableye was dangling off a ledge, Bidoof was struggling to drag along Shuckle, and Braixen hadn't moved at all.

"Braixen?" Minccino questioned as she helped up Scrafty. "Look alive!"

Tepig walked over, sporting a grin. "Fear of climbing, that one."

"Oh yeah….." said Minccino in realization. "Braixen, honey, are you okay?"

Braixen stared up at the mountain in horror. "Y-yes. I'll climb up in…..just a moment!"

Scrafty rolled his eyes. "Do you WANT to be eliminated? Because that's you're next stop!"

Braixen blanched as Minccino punched him in the shoulder. "Scrafty, what the hell! She needs ENCOURAGEMENT. Braixen, get your SCRAWNY ASS UP HERE!"

Braixen flinched, as Tepig snickered. Shuckle, who was lost in thought, had an idea.

"Braixen! Why not jump in the wagon! We can be road buddies!"

"Oh you hafta be kiddin' me," Bidoof moaned as Braixen happily jumped in the wagon.

Minccino shrugged. "I guess that works out-ooh!" she started as Tepig wrapped his arms around her.

Minccino looked at Tepig in surprise. "Who are you and what have you done with Tepig?"

Tepig winked. "Oh can it love, you enjoy this."

Minccino leaned back into his touch with a small smirk. "Only a little."

Scrafty, walked off, looking disgusted, and Sableye looked indignant.

"Hey no fair, I want a fire type to cuddle with! Its FREEZING!"

Grovyle giggled, climbing past him. "Better hope Misdreavus doesn't hear that."

Minccino stuck out her tongue at him. "Swampert? Stay down here, and help the weaker climbers!"

"Yes ma'am!" Chuckled Swampert, sliding down the mountain a bit.

 **0000**

" **She may be a bit prickly, but she's a good leader," admitted Swampert. "Her relationship with Tepig seems to boost her confidence as well."**

 **0000**

Victini leaned back on a lawn chair at the summit of the mountain, drinking hot chocolate contentedly. In a nearby shack, Hariyama was looking through a pair of binoculars.

"How are the kids doing?" Victini asked with interest. Hariyama snorted.

"Not bad for little ones. Seviper's are in lead, but Zangeese have greater spirit."

Victini nodded, but looked troubled. "We need a plan, Harry. We were supposed to schedule a legendary two weeks ago and we need them by next challenge! What do we do?"

Hariyama looked thoughtful. "Why not let Hariyama try? He has much charisma, yes?"

Victini sighed. "Why not? It's not like things could get worse."

The two were silent for a few moments.

'Refill?"

"Sure."

0000

"Ugh….are we almost there?" Zorua whined. Slowking rolled his eyes as Charizard took to the skies.

"I think so….and the other team is nowhere to be seen...I think we have this!"

"Yes!" Cheered Lopunny, jumping ahead and accidentally knocking Audino over the cliff. She fell, but Bulbasaur wrapped a vine around her arm, pulling her to safety.

"Lopunny hold on!" Snarled Charizard. "This isn't an individual challenge, and we need to work together!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Lopunny snapped back, scaling the mountain as quickly as she could.

 **0000**

" **She's not a team player," growled Charizard. "She's a good competitor, but this is getting to be too much."**

 **0000**

 **Lucario groaned. "We need to have a talk."**

 **0000**

Shuckle sat with Braixen in the wagon, happily playing old maid with a deck of cards Shuckle had fished out in one of his vehicle's compartments. Braixen needed to keep her mind off the height, Shuckle mused.

Bidoof struggled to drag the two of them, often slipping and falling.

"Fellas…..please. I-I can'..."

"Don't worry Bidoof," said Munchlax pleasantly. "We're almost there."

"You don't seem very affected by the cold," replied Grovyle, shivering.

"I have thick fat!" Munchlax said brightly. "So I'm not bothered by the temperature. I have an edge this challenge."

Ninjask zoomed in, circling around the mountain "Hey FREEZE POPS! We're losing. Seviper's are nearly at the top."

Minccino swore loudly. "We need a plan then. We need that advantage!"

Sableye cackled. "Yessss. It's time to reveal my newest invention….the Hidenloon quartz 30000!"

He was met with a bunch of blank stares.

"...What? It's a flying contraption cross between a blimp and a hot air balloon. It's brilliant!"

"Sableye I'm not sure if…." Started Minccino, but Sableye wasn't listening. Pulling out a remote, he tapped a big red button.

A box in Shuckle's wagon began to whirr and shake, smoke unfurling from the top. Shuckle and Braixen leapt back, Shuckle in Braixen's arms.

The box exploded, revealing…..a deflated balloon.

"Oh...yeah, forgot the hot air," mumbled Sableye, crestfallen. Tepig and Ninjask looked at each other and snickered.

Minccino rolled her eyes. "Sableye aside, we need to hurry. We'll have to run for it!"

The team picked up the speed, struggling their way up the mountain.

"We're screwed," grumbled Umbreon.

Shuckle called down to Bidoof, whose face was pressed against the snow.

"C'mon buddy! You can do it!"

"Yeah, we believe in you!" Cheered Braixen, clapping her hands.

Bidoof mumbled something unintelligible.

 **0000**

 **Shuckle sat in the confessional, looking thoughtful. "I'm not a heartless monster; there's a reason why I have Bidoof drag me around. He's a tough competitor, definitely the best overall for our alliance. Fortunately, no one else has really noticed it yet. If I can physically strain Bidoof, he'll look weaker, and we'll be able to stay under the radar, which is pretty much our best advantage at this point." He thought for a moment, trying to rephrase. "You know Goku's weighted clothing from** _ **Dragon Ball?**_ **Think of that."**

 **0000**

 **Sableye giggled. "They doubt me, but I'll show them!" He laughs again, but begins to choke.**

 **0000**

Lopunny jumped high in the air, reaching the summit of the mountain. She looked around, and only Victini was in sight.

"Yes! I did it!"

Victini pulled down his sunglasses. "Well YOU'RE here...but where's your team?"

Lopunny clapped a hand to her forehead. "Crap!"

Infernape giggled, leaping up behind her. "Don't worry, bun, we're right...here?"

Infernape's jaw went slack as he stared up at the sky. Lopunny, confused, looked to where he was pointing and gasped, her eyes widening.

Victini's mouth was agape, and his shades dropped to the ground.

Up high in the air was a strange vehicle that looked like the cross between a blimp and a hot air balloon. The envelope itself was huge, and though it looked like a blimp it functioned like a balloon. Ropes from the base hanging in the air, attaching to Shuckle's wagon, the basket of a hot air balloon. In the wagon were Tepig and Braixen, shooting up jets of fire that acted as a burner and allowed it to move.

Lucario pulled herself up, brushing herself. "Lopunny, you and I need to have a chat about-WHAT THE HELL!?"

Losing balance, Lucario tumbled down the mountain. Charizard managed to fly up and catch her just as the giant vehicle touched the ground. Sableye, from inside the envelope, cackled madly into a megaphone.

"THAT'S WHAT YOU ALL GET FOR DOUBTING ME! NYA HAHAH AH HEHEHEHE HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE HOOOHOOO!"

"Where did he get a megaphone?" Asked Infernape.

"THAT'S the question you're asking right now!?" Said Lopunny in disbelief.

 **0000**

 **Gallade's single eye twitched.**

 **0000**

" **He is certifiably insane! No doubt about that!" Said Ampharos.**

 **0000**

" **Run run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me, the Hidenloon quartz 3000!" Laughed Sableye.**

 **0000**

 **Misdreavus smiled dreamily.**

 **0000**

By the time the rest of the Seviper's arrived at the top of the mountain, the Zangeese were piling out of the Hidenloon, Shuckle a bit frantically.

Victini finally got over his surprise coughing. "Well…. the Zangeese win the first part of the challenge...thanks to…. Sableye so they get an advantage. Um...give me a moment to think about this…"

Tepig nudged Ninjask. "Told you he could do it, mate. Pay up."

Ninjask sighed, handing Tepig twenty dollars. "I stand corrected. You've impressed me Victini."

Victini flashed the two of them the middle finger with a scowl. "Well...the second part of the challenge, is X-TREME SNOWBALL FIGHT! Both teams have fifteen minutes to build a snow fort, and then the WAR will begin! Think of it like the paintball war. You get hit with a snowball, you're out. To win, you either have to eliminate every single member of the opposite team, OR destroy their fort. Moves that do damage can ONLY BE USED ON THE FORT, not on each other!

Make sense?"

The Pokemon looked at each other and nodded, many of them even excited at the prospect of it.

"Then let's start! Because the Zany Zangoose got up here first, they get a five-minute head start, and a few surprises in their arsenal. Congrats guys! Now start!"

Minccino drew a figure on a map. "So…. I'd say we should make a sort of citadel like base. Make the outside walls the hardest to crack, and keep the inside spacious enough to move around. But...er we sort of should decide a team leader first."

She blinked in realization as Tepig wrapped an arm around her.

"Guess you solved your own problem, love."

Minccino blushed. "I-I guess. But I don't want to come off as-"

Gallade snorted. "Enough idle chat. We should do as Minccino said. We're squandering our advantage."

Minccino managed to get over her surprise. "Swampert, take the outer walls with Grovyle and Scrafty. Shuckle, Bidoof, Munchlax, you guys familiarize with the 'surprises' Victini told us about. Sableye?"

The little imp looked at her.

Minccino smirked. "Make us some kick-ass hot chocolate."

Sableye grinned wildly, saluting.

0000

Charizard grunted in discomfort. "So….I'm sorry, but I'm lost. Snow isn't my forte."

Slowking tapped a hand to his chin. "Might I take charge here?"

Charizard bit back a retort, instead nodding reluctantly. "That might be best."

Slowking nodded. "Well our first order of business is coming up with a basic design, and moving on from there. So what-"

"A CASTLE! A CASTLE PLEASE!" Donphan trumpeted loudly. Slowking flinched, but nodded. "Any objections."

No one said anything, though there were a few eye rolls.

Slowking sighed. "I'll use my water moves to reinforce the ice. Let's begin."

 **0000**

" **Slowking's become a much better teammate….and a much greater threat," said Charizard shortly. "Do I want him out? Not yet. For now, he's useful. But when the numbers start thinning he'll need to be dealt with."**

 **0000**

The two teams worked with determination and surprising unity, and the two forts were making surprising progress. Slowking created barriers, Lucario was fast enough to switch positions, and Audino healed everyone who was tired. Eevee was quite good as well, becoming braver and braver as she leant her support and came up with some stunningly good ideas for the castle.

Infernape and Charizard however, could do little to help, and stood awkwardly to the side. Misdreavus annoyed everyone with jokes and had to dodge a few snowballs thrown her way.

Ninjask flew around the top of the fort at high speeds, packing in snow. Swampert used water to harden the snow until it was nearly ice. Shuckle filled up his wagon with snow, dragging it around to those who needed it. Even Braixen managed to help, using her psychic powers to pack the snow into the citadel without accidentally melting it. Sableye managed to make a hot chocolate machine, and soon they were happily sipping out of mugs as they worked.

Lopunny kicked the snow, packing it in, looking at Lucario as she struggled to hold it together. She glanced at the Jackal, finally steeling her nerves.

"Um...need some help?" She asked nervously. Lucario shrugged.

Lopunny didn't move. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened to the pendant, I didn't-"

"I know you didn't, sorry for trying to murder you," said Lucario gruffly. "I know that isn't something you'd do."

Lopunny bit her lip. This was hard! "Look…. Lucario...I...you've been pretty reserved lately. Are you upset about something?"

Lucario's hands turned blue with power, shattering the snow in her grip. "No. Where did you get that idea?"

"By the way you've been acting! Did I do something wrong? You've always been stoic, but you're also friendly! If it's my fault I-Lucario?"

The aura Pokemon was sniffling slightly, a tear dripping down her cheek.

"I-I'm sorry Lopunny, I don't usually act like this, but…"

Lopunny sighed. "Be honest. Does this have something to do with your fear a few challenges back?"

Lucario was shocked. "How…?"

Lopunny rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid. What the hell did you see?"

Lucario sniffed. "I-I don't-"

"Oh no, girl. We're meeting later tonight and you're going to tell me all about it," said Lopunny forcefully.

"But-"

"No exceptions. Tonight. Meet me there."

Ampharos turned a corner. "Arceus, finally got that pillar...up. Oops."

Lucario shot an aura sphere that Ampharos dove to avoid.

"I'm LEAVING!"

Meanwhile, Bulbasaur was chattering as he worked atop one of the walls, his whole body shuddering. Eevee caught sight of him and raised an eyebrow.

"Um...are you okay? You look like you have hypothermia," said Eevee, concerned.

"Oh me? Ob course I'm obay. See, dad? I can work hard do ged money doo….I don'b have do rely ong you all the dime. I'm gnot jusb some selbish...ah…..rich...brad..AHCHOO!"

Bulbasaur sneezed loudly, covering his nose with a vine. Eevee sighed.

"Audino! Bulbasaur caught a cold!" Called Eevee. Audino gasped in concern.

"Oh no! I'll take care of him!"

Bulbasaur tried to protest, but eventually resigned to his fate and allowed himself to dragged away to the healer, leaving Eevee alone on the wall.

"Alright…." She sighed. "I'll see what I can do…."

 **0000**

" **Lopunny's a good friend," Lucario admitted. "She may have her flaws, but hey...who doesn't?"**

 **0000**

"So…. what ARE these?" Grovyle asked, somewhat nervously at a crate of strange snowballs. She touched one lightly, and it shuddered.

"Fun," snorted Umbreon, rolling her eyes.

"Hey what's this thing?" Bidoof asked as he stared at a metallic object buried into the snow. With a grunt of effort, Swampert tugged it out. It was a cannon, clearly crafted for shooting snowballs.

Shuckle's eye twitched. "No. Not again. KEEP THAT THING AWAY FROM ME!"

"Shuckle calm down!" Minccino snapped. "I'll use it."

"Actually Sheila, I think it would be better if I did," Tepig said with a smirk.

Minccino snorted. "Yeah no. Like I'd trust YOU with something that can hurt us."

"Oh come off it, I'm a fire type. We don't do well with snow. If not me then Braixen-mph."

Minccino pulled him into a kiss, and he nearly toppled backwards. When they broke apart, Minccino gave him a wink.

"Overruled."

Tepig shrugged. "Cannon's all yours, sweetheart."

"Oh come on!" Shuckle whined. "That's not fair at all!"

"Shhh," said Minccino dismissively. "Now get to work guys, so far I've been 2 for 2 as leader. I NEED this win streak."

 **0000**

" **You know, Minccino's gotten a lot more outgoing and active lately," said Sableye. He giggled. "I think I might be rubbing off on her."**

 **0000**

 **Shuckle had a wicked gleam in his eye. "Alright Sevipers. You may have bested me last time, but now it's a rematch in the art of war. I'm winning this." He coughed. "As long as…. you know. I don't get shot out of a cannon again."**

 **0000**

Victini floated over. "Campers that's time! Before we start let's see how you did with your forts!" He floated over to the Zany Zangoose fortress, which they called the Snowy citadel.

The fort was mostly walls, but powerful walls at that that surrounded a somewhat shabby looking interior, a tall building that could just be seen over the walls, where the cannon was stationed. There were areas on the wall that served as the battlements, with cover and a handful of snowballs in buckets that Shuckle had decided were necessary.

Victini banged his knuckles against one of the walls. "Hard as stone, eh? But I notice that if they get past it, the inside isn't anywhere as sturdy."

Minccino smirked. "That's why we have a few surprises up our sleeves."

Victini whistled. "And what about the Sevipers?"

The Striking Seviper's fort was...quite frankly, huge. It looked like it was a castle ripped out of one of Donphan's plays. It's walls weren't as durable as the Seviper's, but there was far more consistency. The battlements were also more defined, and far more flexible if one were to move.

"I believe Eevee deserves some credit-she built up the walls all by herself!" Audino said warmly.

Eevee was lying on her side. "Kill me."

Donphan himself let a hearty laugh. "I call it-the palace of pachyderms! It will be an honor as a knight to defend such a glorious establishment-"

"Yeah yeah, whatever!" Said Victini as Donphan continued his rant. "It's finally time to begin! I'm counting down from sixty!"

 **0000**

 **Infernape whooped. "Donphan you may be a nutjob, but you sure know how to design a snow fort! We have this in the bag!"**

 **0000**

 **Munchlax grinned. "Our walls were designed after Shuckle's shell. They aren't penetrating that."**

 **0000**

Ampharos was on a knee, under cover beside Carbink and Audino. The three of them had thrown a few experimental snowballs at the citadel's walls, but hadn't been able to make a dent. Now they were waiting to ambush the Zangeese, who had disappeared behind their walls and refused to come out.

"AMPHAROS!" Zorua hissed, crawling on the ground behind cover. "What are you doing, we need to make a move!"

"On what?" Ampharos snapped. "We can't hurt the fort with these snowballs."

Zorua growled. "We need to make a move FAST! Charizard and Infernape are melting the castle just by standing inside it!"

Slowking swore. "Of course! That's what they were counting on! Send Charizard out to melt down the walls, QUICKLY!"

0000

Munchlax gulped as he looked through one of the citadel's windows. "Um…. here comes Charizard!"

Shuckle sighed. They had caught on. "So deal with him! Don't let him get close!"

Charizard's eyes narrowed as he descended down on the base. It COULDN'T be that easy, could it?"

Charizard shot out a jet of fire, aiming for inner tower but then did a double take as Swampert climbed on top of the roof, creating a protective barrier. Before Charizard could attack again, a snowball hit him in the nape of his neck. Whirling around, he turned to see Scrafty, Bidoof, and Grovyle hidden behind cover on one of the walls.

"Charizard is OUT!" Came Victini's voice. Charizard gnashed his teeth in frustration and flew off.

Bidoof let out a whoop. "Nice shot, Scrafty! He didn' even see it-waugh!"

A snowball hit him in the nose, knocking him off the snow fort.

Slowking smiled cruelly. "Found you."

Audino, Zorua, Ampharos, and Slowking hurled snowballs at the now exposed Zangeese. Scrafty dove for cover, and Grovyle began throwing snowballs back.

Shuckle whistled to Minccino, who gave him a salute, firing the cannon. A burst of snow exploded on top of the Seviper's, forcing them to get out of the way as the castle crumpled and fell down around their heads.

"NO! YOU CANNOT TOUCH THE CASTLE OF PACHYDERMS!" Donphan roared.

"Uh...didn't you call it a palace at first?" Asked Infernape.

"Whatever! ON MY HONOR AS A KNIGHT!"

He hurled a snowball with his trunk that struck Grovyle in the face, knocking her down.

Scrafty ducked behind a wall. "Hey assholes! I could use some help!"

Umbreon and Braixen sprinted out, throwing balls of their own, but none were able to hit their mark. Shuckle drew a small map with a stick onto the snow.

"Their battlements are superior to ours, so we can't just win a straight up fight. So if we want to win, we'll have to take down the castle from the inside."

Munchlax coughed. "Uh I think Donphan called it a-"

"Shut up Munchlax. We'll need to split into two teams. One to keep the Seviper's distracted, one to sneak in and take them out from the inside."

Scrafty snapped back at them. "Do you morons want to help, or is this going to be the Alamo?"

"Ooh I like the sound of that. In the meantime, let's try to thin their ranks. Time to use some of our "special snowballs," said Shuckle with an evil grin.

 **0000**

" **Shuckle is uh…. scary when he's put in charge. Like he's a completely different person," said Munchlax uncomfortably.**

 **0000**

Zorua threw a well-aimed snowball at Braixen, hitting her in the chest. Slowking made a gesture with a hand, and wave after wave of snowballs at the fort, forcing them to dive for cover.

But then a shot rang out from Minccino's cannon, and Ampharos was hit in the chest, throwing him back into a wall, crumbling and bringing it down with him.

"We have an advantage, but we need to take down that cannon," said Lucario sharply.

Slowking nodded, stroking his chin. "We might want to send a few to avoid the cannon blasts. The Zangeese may be unpredictable, but in general we are more powerful physically."

Audino ran over, out of breath. "Um…. troop morale isn't exactly high. DUCK!"

The three dove to the ground to avoid another cannon blast.

"What the hell do you mean?" Snapped Zorua.

"Bulbasaur caught a cold, and poor Eevee looks freezing. And I think Ampharos might have been hurt really bad."

Zorua rolled her eyes. "Who cares, he's already out. I just want this challenge over with."

"Guys? We have another problem!" Came Carbink's squeaky voice.

"Oh come on, what now?" Lopunny practically whined.

"Infernape looks like he's having issues. And he's starting to melt down the castle!" Carbink cried frantically.

Infernape was twitching, curled into fetal position. "Too much...sitting still. Not…. enough. Energy or punching."

"Then send him off against the citadel! He can punch it all he wants, it's not going away any time soon," growled Slowking, his patience wearing thin.

Infernape laughed loudly, sprinting out and jumping off the window of the fortress to everyone's surprise, hitting the snow hard and sprinting forwards.

Slowking sighed. "I'll do my best for the cannon. But I'm more worried about those special snowballs."

Donphan rolled in with a hearty trumpet. "Never fear! The noble knights of pachyderm will not let us fail! We will-"

"Oh will you just CAN IT!?" Zorua shrieked.

0000

"Shuckle! Infernape incoming!"

Shuckle didn't even bat an eye. "Sableye."

Sableye grinned, tapping a button on his watch, setting off an explosion of snow in the ground around Infernape with a cry of shock.

Shuckle sipped his hot chocolate. "It's time to make a move. Ninjask, Gallade, Scrafty, Umbreon. Front and center. Swampert will keep them off us for a while."

The four arrived quickly, and Shuckle did not waste time. He pointed at his rough sketch of a map with a stick.

"You guys take this route here, find a back entrance."

"Aha! Reach around-" Said Tepig triumphantly.

"No. We'll set off something to distract them. Gallade, you're the stealthy type so I'm putting you in charge. Just make sure that you aren't seen."

Gallade nodded. "Understood."

"Good, now hurry!"

As Umbreon left however, Shuckle stopped her. His eyes shifted from side to side. As he handed her a bucket filled with snow.

"Use this," Shuckle whispered to her. "Bring down one of them with it. It's completely and absolutely necessary if we are to win. In fact, it HINGES on whether you eliminate a Pokemon with this bucket."

"Um...why?" Asked Umbreon.

"No questions! And make sure to scream 'TEAM BUCKET' at the top of your lungs when you do."

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "I'm not doing either of those things. Bye."

She padded off as Shuckle sighed.

 **0000**

" **FOG MACHINES! HOW THE HELL DID THEY DO FOG MACHINES!" Bulbasaur yelled, before sneezing loudly.**

 **0000**

Slowking raised an eyebrow as a thick fog covered the battlefield between the two fortresses, engulfing the citadel and hiding it from view.

"Nngh! Clever. But if they are creating something that hides them, that means they have something they want to hide. Donphan, Lucario, and Audino. Get out there on foot."

The three nodded, running down the stairs and out of the castle. At the same time, Lopunny gasped and dove to the side to avoid another cannon's explosion.

Slowking sighed, using his psychic powers to dissipate the fog….

0000

Shuckle looked down at Sableye, Tepig, Minccino, Swampert, Munchlax, and Sableye, the remaining members of his team.

"Today is a battle we win not by winning, but by letting someone else win. A true soldier knows how to sacrifice everything for the greater good. And together, we ARE the greater good."

Tepig snorted, rolling his eyes, but the others seemed to be eating it up.

"So today it is not our duty to win, but to help others win. Together we will make a final stand, to show them exactly how powerful even a dysfunctional team can be. So gentlemen and Minccino-"

"Hey!"

"Let's show them what hell tastes like," Shuckle finished. The other six raised their hands in salute, and Tepig took off his hat patriotically.

"Minccino...ready?" Shuckle asked, wheeling his wagon over to her.

Minccino nodded, stoic as always. "Yep."

"When the fog disappears, I want you to fire directly at the battlements. Aim for Slowking."

"Got it."

The fog vanished, Slowking using his psychic power to separate it. For a moment, Shuckle stared directly at the water type, their eyes boring into each other.

"Fire."

"SIR YES SIR!" Minccino screamed jovially, firing the cannon repeatedly. Slowking gasped as the shots exploded around him, the Sevipers were forced to get to the ground, and poor Eevee was thrown off the castle in the explosion, eliminating her from the challenge. Slowking grit his teeth and threw up a psychic barrier.

Shuckle took a long sip from his hot chocolate, completely calm compared to the screaming chinchilla next to him.

"Get those special snowballs. Let's give them a show."

Swampert carefully balanced a tray in his hands, placing them down. "Be wary that we don't have too many of these. Make them count."

Shuckle nodded. "Cause some mayhem."

Sableye and Munchlax each scooped up a few snowballs, and began throwing snowballs with vigor. Each had a different effect.

One simply exploded on impact, causing the Seviper's to stumble and take a chunk out of the wall. Another spit acid on the fort, causing them to jump back. One of them was dodged by Bulbasaur, but spider legs shot out of the snow, and it _crawled_ back over to the plant Pokemon, throwing itself and smashing into Bulbasaur's face.

Misdreavus giggled. "C'mon that's SNOW fair!"

"Misdreavus, help out!" Cried an indignant Lopunny who was taking cover.

Minccino shot blast after blast with the cannon, trying to focus. Tepig paced back and forth, encouraging her.

"You have to remember love, take hold of the cannon. Thrust forward, and grip its metallic shaft with all you have. Then, when you feel it coming, focus the explosion, to make sure to blow the load all over the enemy team."

Minccino rolled her eyes. "Tepig, you aren't even TRYING to be subtle! Though actually… that isn't bad advice."

"See, mate? I'm educational," Tepig said, elbowing Swampert, who chuckled.

"Shuckle!" Munchlax came forward, out of breath. "Do you want the good news or the bad news?"

Shuckle sighed. "Call me lieutenant, private! And uh...good news I guess."

Munchlax coughed. "The good news is that bad news is overrated, and the bad news is that three Seviper's are making their way here."

Shuckle swore. "Ugh. Go take care of that!"

Swampert chuckled again as he and Sableye made their way. "You're beginning to sound like Charizard."

"Shut it or I will court-martial you!" Shuckle shot back.

0000

Lucario moved quietly through the snow, the other two following her without a word. She focused on her surroundings with her aura, trying to focus, despite the fog and the loud wind. For some reason she was struggling...perhaps it was the altitude?

Suddenly her eyes widened. She motioned for Donphan and Audino stop.

"I can sense someone….but..." She didn't understand. From what her aura was telling her, there was someone right in front of her but...there was nothing there.

"Must be a trick of Sableye's or something. Let's keep going." Donphan shrugged and Audino smiled in reassurance. The three walked off, heading to the citadel.

When they were finally out of sight, Ninjask burst out of the snow with a gasp.

"You do NOT bury a bug under the snow! That is INHUMANE, MAN!"

Gallade climbed up after the angry cicada, brushing himself off. "I went with what worked."

Scrafty and Umbreon emerged after them, shaking off the snow. Scrafty was snickering, and even Umbreon had a grim smirk.

Ninjask took up a pensive tone. "Are we there yet?"

Umbreon and Gallade gave him stony looks. Scrafty didn't even pay attention, sauntering off towards the distant castle.

Ninjask grumbled. "Great. Team of four, and I get paired with the three sociopaths."

0000

Audino dodged a snowball, moving to the side as Donphan and Lucario hurled their own. Unfortunately, Shuckle had been smart enough to add smaller forts to provide cover for his teammates.

Swampert threw two balls as hard as he could. Lucario slid under it, her paw digging into the snow. Audino twirled to avoid the snowball, but was suddenly hit in the back of the head. Sableye managed to catch her off guard.

As Audino sadly walked off the battlefield, Donphan stood strong against the two Zangeese.

"I am a Knight! We will not fall to the likes of ruffians like yourselves. This will be a noble duel, so I would prefer to face you-"

Sableye and Swampert threw snowballs at the same time.

"-One on one…. Oh jeez…."

Donphan dove to dodge, the snowballs whistling past him, scooping one in his hand, he threw it, but both ducked under cover. Snorting, Donphan rolled up into a ball, using a rollout to blast into the fort. Swampert stumbled back, and Sableye frantically leapt to the side.

Donphan spun out of his rollout, throwing it at Sableye and hitting him in the stomach. He turned, whipping another at Swampert as the mud fish threw one at the same time.

Donphan's snowball narrowly missed Swampert, zipping past his shoulder, but Donphan was hit dead on.

Swampert helped the elephant up. "It was a good attempt. I'd like to spar with you some time."

Donphan laughed. "Back at you!"

After the elephant had left, Swampert looked around warily. Where was Lucario?

 **0000**

 **Swampert sat in the confessional. "We may complain about this show a lot, But I find myself having quite a bit of fun. The challenges are entertaining, to say the least."**

 **0000**

Zorua cried out as the snow shot from the cannon hit her in the face, sending her reeling.

"Yes!" Minccino cried out in joy. "I got the bitch out!"

Slowking's eyes turned pink. "I've had enough of that."

The cannon suddenly jerked back, knocking Minccino off her feet as it fired again, this time way off course.

Tepig leaned back. "Ah see? You didn't grip it tight enough, and now you shot too early."

Minccino gave him a murderous look. "Shut up and help me!"

Tepig ran over, grabbing the cannon as the two struggled for control.

Misdreavus flew next to a concentrating Slowking. "I guess you could say I'm glad those two are...CANNON! AHAYAAHHHAHAHAHA!"

 **0000**

 **Slowking chuckled. "Okay that one was pretty good."**

 **0000**

Tepig and Minccino struggled to contain the cannon. Despite the situation, Tepig laughed.

"Now this? Perfect example of why women shouldn't drive."

"That's not even RELEVANT ASSHOLE!" Minccino screeched.

Suddenly, the cannon spun, knocking the two off their feet. Slowking closed his hand in a fist, and the cannon fired, snow blasting over the two of them.

Minccino groaned, lying on Tepig's stomach. "Great. Now what?"

Tepig raised his eyebrows seductively. Minccino snorted and smacked him on the head.

Shuckle gulped and shared a glance with Munchlax.

"Wh-what do we do now?" The little cub asked nervously.

Shuckle swallowed noisily. "Hide and stall for time!"

Slowking folded his hands behind his back, a smug look on his face. He had them on the ropes.

Then came a loud knocking, distracting Slowking form his thoughts.

"Huh...who could that possibly?" He asked sleepily. "Lopunny, get on that. Be wary."

"On it!" Lopunny replied, sprinting out. Slowking was left with Misdreavus and Carbink. He groaned. The two that had no limbs, perfect.

"Hey Slowking! I'd protest her leaving, but I don't have a LEG to stand on? Get it?"

Slowking groaned. "Misdreavus, shut up or we'll automatically eliminate you."

"Seconded!" Carbink agreed.

"Thirded!" Piped up Shelder.

"Aww c'mon guys that was COLD," Misdreavus giggled. The other two sighed.

"Don't give me the cold shoulder!"

0000

Lopunny clutched a snowball in her hand as she quietly made her way to the door. Someone was knocking, quite loudly.

She couldn't be sure if it was a trap or not. Slowly she opened the door...just a smidge and peered through.

No one was there.

Were they hiding? Lopunny tensed herself, ready to move.

"YAAH!"

Lopunny kicked open the door and began to sprint out, but suddenly a bucket fell from between the door and the wall, snow pouring out right on top of her head.

Umbreon smirked, sauntering past. "Team bucket."

 **0000**

 **Umbreon blushed slightly. "Okay that was more fun that I thought it would be. I should give Shuckle some credit."**

 **0000**

 **Lopunny hissed as she held an icepack to her forehead. "What the hell WAS that?"**

 **0000**

Slowking threw ball after ball, but Shuckle and Munchlax weren't budging. "Why are they stalling? They must know something we don't."

Carbink sniffed the air. "Hey does anyone smell smoke?"

Slowking took a whiff, then whirled around. Facing the three of them was Scrafty, who was lighting a cigarette, a smug grin on his face.

"Hey howdy hey."

Before any of them could react, Umbreon and Gallade dove into the room, chucking snowballs hard. Gallade's caught Slowking in the shoulder, and Umbreon nailed Misdreavus in the face. Ninjask flew up and lightly tossed the snowball at Carbink. Scrafty simply leaned back, holding his lighter to the castle walls and letting it slowly melt.

Slowking groaned, rubbing his shoulders. "We focused too much on their fort, it was only a distraction. Well played Shuckle, well played."

Scrafty and Ninjask high fived, and Umbreon managed a grin. Gallade focused his telepathic powers.

Shuckle sighed in relief. "Gallade just told me they took care of Slowking and the others. We did it!"

Munchlax whooped. "All right! But-wait, why isn't the challenge over yet?"

Shuckle clasped an arm to his head. "Did I miss someone?"

Swampert entered the room quickly. "It's good to see the two of you still in the game, but we have a problem. We managed to take out Audino and Donphan, but we lost Sableye and Lucario is nowhere to be seen. I-quite frankly I'm worried."

Shuckle swore loudly. "But...where could she-"

Realization dawned in Shuckle's eyes. "SWAMPERT MOVE-"

A snowball suddenly hit Swampert in the back of the head, knocking him over. Behind them was Lucario, grinning and holding two snowballs in her hand.

Shuckle and Munchlax screamed, hugging each other in fear.

Lucario aimed the two snowballs. "It's over."

"GET COVER!" Munchlax shouted, as Lucario threw the snowballs as hard as she could. Munchlax and Shuckle dove behind the wagon, protecting them from the shots.

Munchlax threw a ball with all of his strength, but Lucario dodged it easily, scooping up more balls and throwing them.

Munchlax managed to get down in time, flinching at the sound of snow hitting metal.

"What do we do?"

"Throw the wagon!" Shuckle and Munchlax shoved the wagon into Lucario, but she easily kicked it to the side and sprinted forward, throwing more balls.

Munchlax hit the ground rolling, mini explosions of snow falling around him, but Shuckle managed to roll around Lucario.

"For the Zangeese!"

Shuckle jumped on Lucario's back, wrapping his noodle like arms around her. The two struggled.

"Get off me!" Lucario shouted.

"Never!"

Munchlax rolled to his feet, throwing several snowballs, but Lucario turned around so they narrowly missed Shuckle.

"Dude watch where your aiming!"

"I'm doing the best I can!" Munchlax snapped back.

Lucario grunted and elbowed Shuckle in the shell, finally releasing herself out of his grip. Snarling she turned to Munchlax just as he was digging up some snow.

"OH SHIT!" Munchlax screeched, running as fast as he could. Lucario threw several, and Munchlax move to the side, somehow managing to avoid them all.

Munchlax ducked under a snowball, and then inspiration struck. Running forward, he sprinted towards the wall throwing himself into it with all of his strength. Lucario stared in shock for a moment as Munchlax's belly fat _bounced_ off the wall, slamming him down on Lucario and knocking them both to the ground.

Munchlax smiled in triumph, for he had Lucario trapped under his girth. He reached down, trying to snatch up a snowball, but Lucario's hand shot out, grabbing his hand and flipping him over his head. Munchlax hit the snow hard, and Lucario held up a snowball of her own…. ready to finish him off….

BAM!

A bucket suddenly struck her in the jaw, sending her spinning as Munchlax rolled out of the way. Shuckle jumped back up, his eyes narrowed.

"Ow…. that hurt."

Shuckle winced. "Sorry, got carried away…"

Lucario didn't respond, instead sprinting forward. Shuckle was ready however, and shot mud out of the two holes in his shell. Lucario's foot slipped on the mud, throwing her past Shuckle and into the snowy wall of the fort.

Shuckle grinned, forming a snowball. Now was his chance to end it. With all of his strength, he threw it…

And it landed two feet away from him, nowhere near Lucario.

"Oh COME ON…."

Lucario whipped a ball, Shuckle tucking his limbs into his shell to _just dodge it._ He sprung forward, wrapping his limbs around Lucario's leg, refusing to let go.

"Not this again!" Lucario growled, trying to shake her foot free, but Shuckle would not relent. Finally, she jerked her foot free, throwing him in the air. Lucario punched Shuckle hard…

And promptly shook her hand that was now stinging with pain.

"Ow...what the hell is your shell made of?"

Shuckle didn't answer, trying to move, but Lucario's foot came down, stomping hard on his shell and pinning him down.

Lucario smirked, scooping up a final snowball. "You put up a good fight, but I won this bout."

Shuckle surprised her with a grin of his own. "That's where you're wrong. Checkmate."

Shuckle rolled out of the way, revealing Munchlax aiming the cannon. Lucario only had time to widen her eyes before Munchlax fired, a burst of snow hitting her head on and throwing her back.

Victini teleported in the room. "And that's the game! The Zany Zangoose wi-"

"SHUCKLE WE DID IT!" Munchlax screamed. Shuckle hollered in joy, and the threw their arms around each other, shouting and sobbing, spinning each other around.

"Win. The Zany Zangeese win." Victini said shortly. "So Seviper's better pick a Pokemon to eliminate, yadda yadda yadda. Meet me tonight for the elimination. I'm going to take a warm bath."

 **0000**

" **WE DID IT! WE BEAT LUCARIO! YES! I DON'T KNOW HOW, BUT WE DID!" Shuckle practically screamed.**

 **0000**

 **Lucario held her face in her hands. "I'm never going to live this down."**

 **0000**

 **Ninjask shivered. "I think I have hypothermia. Not lying. Someone help. Please."**

 **0000**

Charizard was sitting and relaxing with Infernape and secretly wondering who to vote off between the two of them. Lucario and Lopunny were sitting on beds a little away. Audino was treating Bulbasaur's cold, and Eevee was napping near them.

Lopunny rolled her eyes. "Oh get over it Lucario. You weren't the only Pokemon to lose."

Lucario sighed, conflicted. "Sure, but I still fell at the eleventh hour. I don't want to be voted off!"

"You won't!" Charizard growled. "Unlike several of our team, you made a valiant effort. Others deserve to go much more than you."

"Like you?" Asked Infernape with a snicker. Ampharos laughed a little.

"He has a point you know. You DID get out first."

Charizard snorted. "You KNOW that's not what I had in mind."

Lopunny patted Lucario on the shoulder. "See? You're fine. Besides, I wouldn't let you leave before you tell me what's going on with you, right?"

Lucario gulped. Oh yeah...THAT….

 **0000**

" **On second thought I'm ready Victini. Take me home," Lucario pleaded.**

 **0000**

Victini stood over the cast, his 'elimination' grin etched on his face. "Another day, another walk of shame. But just who will it be?"

The Sevipers looked around each other with mild irritation. For once, no one spoke.

"Aww you're no fun today. Donphan, Zorua and Lopunny take your poffins and get out of here."

Despite her confidence before, Lopunny cast Lucario a worried look.

"Ampharos, Infernape, Carbink and…. Lucario get up here too. Eevee, Audino, and…. Bulbasaur, you guys can also stay another night."

Charizard gulped, glancing at Misdreavus and Slowking. Neither looked particularly nervous.

Victini rubbed his hands together. "For a leader, you didn't lead too much, now did you? Misdreavus, you're obnoxious, and Slowking, I'm sure you're used to this shtick….or are you?"

Victini grinned at the tension, finally relenting. "Charizard, come get your poffin."

The dragon let out a huge sigh, stomping forward and taking his poffin. Misdreavus and Slowking glanced at each other in horror.

"The final poffin goes to…."

Misdreavus was whispering to herself, and Slowking closed his eyes. Scrafty was watching the whole event in interest, and Sableye's claws dug into the wooden bench he was sitting on.

"...Slowking."

Misdreavus slumped down. "Aw…."

Slowking patted her on the back. "Everyone has to go sometime."

"NO!" Sableye shrieked, jumping down and hugging Misdreavus.

:"Hey it's okay babe. Just win for me okay? Or just steal it."

"Yeah….I know…"Sableye said unhappily. Misdreavus kissed him on the cheek.

 **0000**

 **Slowking sighed in relief. "FINALLY!"**

 **0000**

 **Charizard folded his arms. "I was able to convince Ampharos and Infernape to vote with me pretty easily. Simply put, she was annoying, obnoxious, and cared more about pranking then teamwork. I don't hate her, but she had to go."**

 **0000**

 **Misdreavus sighed. "I had a feeling, you know? Because of that, I boobie trapped Hariyama's kitchen one last time. You know, for good luck."**

 **She smiled. "Sableye, you have this baby. I had one hell of a time, so I'll be sad to leave." She suddenly cocked her head to the side, as Hariyama's shout of "MISDREAVUS!" Could be heard. Her eyes widened. "Welp, gotta go!"**

 **0000**

Instead of their usual party, the Zany Zangeese were more subdued than normal, instead trying to cheer up the depressed Sableye.

"I'm FINE guys…. just a little blue. I'll get over it," reassured the imp.

Minccino was sitting on her bed, playing with Tepig's long ears. "Hey...well if you want anyone to talk to we're all ears."

"Yeah," agreed Tepig. "It would suck if-ow Minccino what the hell that hurts."

Minccino giggled. "Mwahahahaha! I found your weakness."

Sableye smiled weakly. In the meantime, Bidoof ran over to help Shuckle.

"Ugh...thanks," Shuckle said in a raspy voice as he gulped down the water Bidoof gave him. "So much shouting…."

"That was something' else!" Said Bidoof. "It was like you were an entirely different person!"

Shuckle coughed. "I guess...there are just some people in this world who REALLY should NOT be in a position of power."

"Shuckle who are you glaring at?"

"At the reader. They know what I'm talking about."

"Oh."

 **0000**

" **Ugh!" Moaned Sableye. "Not only is Misdreavus gone but...they're all being so nice to me! I HATE guilt!"**

 **0000**

"Alright Lucario. Spill." Lopunny had her arms folded, and Lucario sighed as she realized that there was no way out of this.

"Okay so…. you were right about the fear challenge. Hypno…. showed me things, my darkest thoughts and fears and it….must have affected me worse than I thought."

Lopunny sighed. "Well what were they?"

"The worst thing was….it was just me. In the illusion, they…. took me apart and dissected me."

Lopunny made a disgusted face. "Eew."

"No not like that!" Said Lucario, rolling her eyes. "I mean like…. they dissected what I am as a person, and confirmed much about...what I feared about myself."

Lopunny sighed sadly. "Well I don't know how to help unless you tell me WHAT it is-"

"I like girls."

Lopunny's eyes widened. "What?"

"I said I like girls. And I-I've been struggling with feelings for a while now and-"

"But whoa wait hold the phone, aren't you dating a guy?"

Lucario blushed but nodded. "Yes….and I love him, but...we've had issues and…. this realization I've had really changes the situation."

"No it doesn't Lucario. If you love him you love him," Lopunny said shortly. "It's as simple as that."

"But-"

"Ah no buts. Do you love him, Lucario?"

Lucario sighed. "Yes, I do."

Lopunny smiled. "Then that's it. Don't worry about it. No one's judging you for your sexuality, and it's not like it has such a HUGE effect on your life."

Lucario rubbed her shoulder awkwardly, but managed a smile. "That's true enough, Lopunny thanks. I-I needed that."

"Of course you did!" Lopunny said with a wink. "Would I ever steer you wrong?"

"Is that a trick question?" Joked Lucario, and the two girls laughed.

Lucario gave Lopunny a hug. "You're a good friend, you know that?"

Lopunny returned it. "Aww….so are you, hon!"

Suddenly her expression changed. "Um…. I don't want to ruin the moment but your chest spike is impaling me."

Lucario sighed.

0000

THAT FEELS SO FRESH! YES!

Nice overall chapter, Munchlax finally kicks ass, and some Tepig X Minccino moments.

And so Misdreavus leaves sadly. She had her role, but eventually her puns caught up to her.

So make sure to review/follow/fave and the works. It gets me through life.

Ciao!


	14. Chapter 14: The greatest show on Earth!

I popped one out faster than usual! Love me! Ooh and I've been hyped for this challenge for a while, so I hope you like it!

Have fun!

0000

Lucario swung a kick at Lopunny that the rabbit jumped to avoid. Lopunny tried to kick Lucario in midair, but she dodged, rolling on the ground. Lopunny aimed a few more kicks, but Lucario blocked them easily, throwing a quick jab of her own.

Finally, Lopunny collapsed, exhausted. "Alright, I give."

Lucario stretched her back. "C'mon, one more match!"

"Lucario, we've been sparring for the past THREE HOURS. I'm not a robot!"

Lucario sighed. "All right, I'll find someone else to go up against."

The two were training in a small workout area. Swampert was lifting weights and Gallade was sharpening his blades. Infernape was doing a few experimental laps around the track.

Swampert gave Lucario a kind smile. "If you want I could go against you."

Lucario looked uncomfortable. "Oh...well I suppose but...your kind of...intimidating...and-"

"Then allow me to."

Gallade was walking over, stretching a blade. His single eye was locked on Swampert.

"I've wanted to test my strength against yours for quite some time now. You have power not unlike mine."

Lucario and Lopunny shared a glance. It was like a weird martial arts movie. But Swampert dropped his weights and nodded. "If you say so. Let's not use moves though; we wouldn't want to bring down the whole gym, would we?"

"As you wish," said Gallade quietly. The two faced each other for a moment, preparing themselves. Gallade pointed a blade at Swampert as the mud fish cracked his knuckles. Lopunny and Lucario were watching in sheer amazement, and even Infernape stopped for a moment to watch.

There was a signal that was not heard or seen by either of the two Pokemon, and yet the two moved at the same time. Gallade sprinted forward, his scythes scraping across the ground, while Swampert stood back holding out his hands like a wrestler.

Gallade struck first, kicking, but Swampert blocked the attack with a powerful arm. The fighting type struck hard and fast, and while Swampert managed to defend, he was slowly being pushed back.

Suddenly his hand shot out, punching Gallade in the face and knocking him backwards. Gallade performed a midair backflip, landing easily on his feet.

Gallade jerked his head. "Impressive."

Swampert said nothing, but slowly started forwards, back into his wrestling stance.

Gallade leapt ahead with a feral growl, but this time Swampert fought offensively. He swung down a heavy arm, but Gallade rolled to the side, as Swampert's fist cracked the ground. While the water type was off balance, Gallade attacked from behind, but Swampert managed to kick him in the stomach, sending him sliding back.

The two lunged at each other again, and the three onlookers watched, stunned.

 **0000**

 **Lucario sighed. "That was impressive. I have my work cut out for me."**

 **0000**

 **Infernape's eyes were wide. "Oh man, did you see that!? Those two were at it for HOURS! I couldn't even tell who won!"**

 **0000**

Minccino and Tepig were lying on their backs on an open field, looking at the clouds-or at least, Minccino was. Tepig's hat was over his eyes, and he was snoring.

Minccino laughed a little. "Hey sunshine! What does that cloud look like?"

Tepig snorted awake. "I dunno….a loud of fluffy white stuff. A bloody marshmallow. Why in the seven holy hells are we doing this again?"

Minccino shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know either. But I felt like we should be doing more stuff. As a couple, you know?"

Tepig rose on his elbows with a roguish grin. "I know something we can-"

Minccino rolled her eyes. "Tepig, that's literally all we've been doing since we got together. And while I'm impressed by your..uh...stamina, shouldn't we be a bit more….I don't know…. Diverse?"

Tepig sighed. "Yeah, I know. But we're so different I don't know what we'd both like. You know, besides-"

"Well…..hey why not strategize!" Minccino interrupted.

"Er…..what?"

"You know what I mean, for the competition!" Said Minccino. "We have to be close to the merge by this point, so-"

"Question. What the hell is a merge?" Asked Tepig, confused.

Minccino sighed, rubbing her temple. "Okay I'm pretty sure Victini explained this….."

"Hey I had more important things on mind!" Snapped Tepig indignantly.

"...Like what?" Asked Minccino, eyebrow raised.

Tepig winked. "Lopunny's arse."

Minccino's eyes twitched. "Okay, I get that you're a teenage boy, but-"

"Hey I'm twenty-four!"

"Wait really? Oh my God that is SO MUCH WORSE!"

Tepig laughed. "Don't worry, Minnie. You'll always come first in my book."

"What do you mean, BOOK!" Minccino shouted in disbelief. "There shouldn't even BE A BOOK!"

"Oy! Stop that! You get cuter when you're angry, and I don't want to lose this argument!" Said Tepig, his grin still etched on his face.

Minccino flopped back. "Arceus, I can't believe I keep falling in love with those cheesy lines."

"I'm special like that aren't I?"

Minccino suddenly sat up. "Wait a minute I've been meaning to ask this. I practically spilled out my guts about what I like about you, but what about me?"

Tepig shrugged. "You're hot, smart, and fun to flirt with. Opposites attract eh? Plus, I've got a thing for hot moms."

Minccino rolled her eyes. "I'm younger than you are. And I don't think calling a girl old is a good choice for your health, OR your relationship."

"That's not what I meant, though I like cougars just fine," said Tepig. "I get how our team is. We're all out of control, but you act as the glue and keep us all together. Like a mom. It's pretty sweet actually."

Minccino looked down in discomfort. "Aww dude don't say shit like that, you're gonna make me blush."

Tepig winked. "Your blush is worth your smile."

Minccino snorted. "Casanova bit doesn't suit you." But she was smiling radiantly all the same and put her hand on his.

As the two laid back, Tepig pointed up at the sky. "Oy I think that cloud looks like a heart!"

"Oh ha, ha!"

 **0000**

 **Tepig leaned back, a satisfied grin on his face. "Minccino's a sweetie, way better then that Vulpix I used to date. And boy, can she su-"**

 **0000**

 **Victini coughed. "The rest of Tepig's confessional has been censored to suit age appropriate audiences, but if you want to see the uncensored version, download our complete season one disk on Pikablu-ray DVD fast play. Good hunting!"**

 **0000**

Bidoof was humming to himself as he walked to the bathroom. It was still fairly early, and most of his friends were still asleep.

" _Davy, Davy Kricketot, king of the battle Frontier_ -Great gallopin' Gulpins what's that!"

Helicopters were flying in the air, supporting a large building that looked like a sort of stadium, setting down somewhere near one of the beaches. Of course they were making quite a lot of noise, and soon competitors were bursting out of their cabins.

"Honestly ONE good night's sleep, that's all I-whoa!" Braixen gasped, pointing at it. Sableye hissed.

"They STOLE the Hidenloon quartz 3000! INCONCEIVABLE! I LEFT IT IN THE GARAGE!"

It was true. Sableye's strange contraption was floating in the air around the stadium, but it was now sporting a billboard with flashing lights that said:

' POKEMON CONTESTS. SPONSORED BY MOOMOO MILK BARNHOUSE. NO, THIS ISN'T ALCOHOL.'

"Wait, you have a garage?" Asked a tired Bulbasaur. Sableye nodded vigorously.

Umbreon stumbled out, looking exhausted. "You have to be FUCKING kidding me!"

Audino gave her a reproachful look. "Hey no swearing in front of Eevee. She's sensitive."

Her hands were covering Eevee's ears, who was nodding pathetically and giving her sad eyes. Umbreon snorted in laughter.

"Good Moooooooooorning campers!" Called Victini, floating in front of them and looking like he was in a better mood than usual. "And to answer your question Umbreon, no. I am not 'fucking kidding you.'"

As Umbreon growled, Audino threw Victini a reproachful look. "Hey, no swearing in front-"

"Shut up Audino! Today our challenge will be about Sinnoh's pride and joy, and Hoenn's birthright-Pokemon contests!"

"Really?" Sneered Ninjask. "The giant billboard threw me off."

Victini didn't falter. "Anyway, as I'm sure you all know, Pokemon Contests are often displayed in Sinnoh and Hoenn, testing a Pokemon's beauty and talents rather than battle power. It excels in showing Pokemon moves in a different craft then fighting. In fact-"

"Aww…..isn't that cute? Victini thinks he's a teacher," said Ninjask. "Maybe if he spent as much effort in hosting the show as he does with this useless trivia, our ratings could reach DOUBLE DIGITS!"

Victini flinched a little, deflating. "Aw…...dude that one was mean….."

 **0000**

 **Ninjask rubbed his head with a claw. "Damn….I feel kind of bad now."**

 **0000**

Victini sighed. "Well I guess I'll get over that offensive comment by making you losers work TWICE as hard! Oh and you don't get breakfast!"

Munchlax laughed. "Aha! I already HAD Breakfast! You can't trump me, Victini."

Victini snapped a finger, and Hariyama stomped over to Munchlax. "Hariyama is sorry."

With a grunt, he punched the poor bear in the stomach, forcing him to keel over and puke.

"...There's your breakfast Munchlax. Now for anyone who doesn't want to end up like that poor cub, I wouldn't talk," growled Victini.

 **0000**

" **Never mind. Sleep with Heatran in Hell, Victini," Said Ninjask coldly.**

 **0000**

 **Munchlax whimpered, clutching his stomach. "Apply for the show, they said! You'll feel good about yourself, they said!" He fell on the floor, moaning.**

" **I want to go home!"**

 **0000**

Victini grinned evilly." No further banter? Good. Now as you all know, Pokemon contests are split into five individual categories. Beauty, cool, cute, tough, and smart. Each team will pick the five Pokemon that they feel suits these five categories best. After a dress up, (you'll want to look presentable after all,) there will be five rounds for each category, one on one. At the end of the round, the three judges will decide a winner. The team that wins the most rounds gets immunity!"

Bulbasaur raised a vine. "But….if you and Hariyama are judges, who's the third?"

Victini rubbed his hands together. "I'm glad you asked! From the depths of Hoenn ocean, the princess of the sea, and one of my best friends from college, I welcome, MANAPHY!"

The campers gasped, looking at the beach in amazement as the water formed a whirlpool. A golden chariot, pulled by six Dewgong emerged from the ocean, stopping at the beach. Victini floated forward, but stared in horror at the Pokemon who opened the door of the carriage. The campers looked at one another in confusion.

Like Manaphy, this Pokemon was small and blue, but it was far more masculine in appearance, with a flotation sac on top of its head and an antenna dangling down from it. It had a large head, and a red oval gem on its chest.

"Hey guys!" Came its loud, yet squeaky voice. "It's Phione!"

Victini groaned. "Phione. Why are YOU here!"

Phione winked. "Hey, uncle! Mom was busy so she had me go instead! I'm your legendary!"

Victini slapped a hand to his face. "You hardly even COUNT AS A LEGENDARY! Manaphy did this on purpose!"

Phione put an arm around his shoulder. "Oh yeah, mom wanted me to give you a message! Something like…..stop trying to impersonate Mew, and uh...fearing for your mental health or something? Anyway HEY! Look at that it's Hariyama!"

As Phione greeted a bemused Hariyama, Victini curled into fetal position and wept. "Why do you do this to me Manaphy? You sent me the LAMEST LEGENDARY IN EXISTENCE! HE ISN'T EVEN POTTY TRAINED!"

Phione grinned, "Aww don't be sad, uncle! I'll have you know I'm pretty powerful too! I learned my first water attack yesterday! Bubble was difficult to learn, but I think I finally have it down-"

"AHHHHHHH!" Screamed Victini grabbing fistfuls of his hair.

00000

"AHAHAHHAHAHHHHHHAHAHAH!" Cackled Sableye.

0000

"THAT WAS KARMA!" Cheered Infernape.

00000

Hariyama chuckled.

0000

Charizard had a clipboard in hand, but looked a little uncomfortable. "So….Victini never really specified what to do next, so I assume we should just pick a Pokemon for each category. First is…. A cleverness contest. I think it's safe to assume we're picking Slowking."

Slowking yawned loudly. "Wait really? Me?"

"Yeah, dude," Ampharos said earnestly. "You got super smart since evolving."

Slowking shrugged. "If you say so."

 **0000**

" **Slowking...is a valuable teammate at this point," said Charizard begrudgingly. "And while he might be a threat after the merge, I'd like to keep him around for a few more challenges."**

 **0000**

 **Slowking folded his arms, thinking deeply. "I've come a long way since a simple Slowpoke. By the day my thoughts become more complex, and I think I've found a way to keep myself in the game, for now at least. I'm no villain, but I will do what it takes to-YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWN, win. What it takes to win."**

 **0000**

Charizard looked down the list. "Then…. uh…. toughness….I think it's fair to say it's between me and Lucario. Any objections?"

"Nope," said Ampharos. "You guys are pretty powerful. Only…what about mega evolutions?"

"We both have them," confirmed Lucario. "But Charizard, I think you can take this one. I'm not sure if I could take on Swampert or Gallade without mega evolving."

Charizard nodded. He DEFINITLEY wanted to go against Gallade, and this was a good opportunity.

"Next is cool…. how the hell are we supposed to judge that?"

Infernape suddenly passed them on a skateboard, managing a kick flip. He landed on his feet and caught the board easily. "Did someone say cool?"

"Infernape….IS pretty cool," admitted Bulbasaur uneasily. "And there's no way me or Donphan fit the bill.

"What about Zorua? Her illusions are pretty cool," said Carbink.

"This is a _coolness_ contest, not an ice bitch contest," replied Lopunny with aa giggle.

"Screw you!" snapped Zorua.

"Alas, I too can be considered cool!" trumpeted Donphan. "I can quote Shakespeare, and can roll as fast as a knight on his steed, wind blowing through my hair-"

"So Infernape it is, then?" Asked Charizard. Everyone else, including Donphan, nodded.

"Wait a minute Donphan has hair!?" squawked Ampharos.

"Don't encourage him!" Charizard snapped. "Now next is….urgh, cute."

"Carbink and Bulbasaur are pretty cute," said Ampharos thoughtfully.

Bulbasaur looked extremely bashful. "Aww c'mon guys, I'm camera shy."

Carbink rolled his eyes. "Hey don't look at me I don't even have LIMBS!"

"Hold it!" called Audino. "Why not Eevee?"

Eevee made a sharp squeaking sound and hid behind Audino. The others looked unsure.

"I mean…Eevee's adorable but she looks like she'd have a heart attack as soon as she walked on the stage," joked Infernape.

Eevee took a deep breath. "No, I-I'll do it. I can handle this."

"Well if you're sure…." Charizard said, somewhat concerned. "The last category is beauty. Oh. Lopunny, right."

Lopunny did a spinning pirouette, a confident smile on her face. "Just don't stare at me too long, boys."

Charizard nodded, satisfied. "Then we can get to work. Does anyone have any experience in applying makeup or costume design or-"

"Leave that to me!" Bulbasaur said happily, dialing on his phone. In a few moments, a crew of strange Pokemon arrived, taking measurements of the competing Pokemon.

"Ooh a yukata would look great on this one," said a Cofagrigus, measuring Eevee.

"Mmm….let's make sure to show off those big muscles, handsome," cooed a Murshana, holding up one of Charizard's arms telepathically.

"Ooh…girlfriend, I know just the dress that will flatter those legs," said a flamboyant looking Ambipom to Lopunny.

"Uh Bulbasaur…..exactly what the hell is this?" Asked Charizard, bemused.

"My makeup team! These guys are the best in the business! You know Captain Jack Spearow?"

"Uh…..yeah?"

"They DID his costume and makeup." The campers stared at one another in astonishment.

Charizard grinned wickedly. "Then we'll win this challenge easily. Get to work everyone!"

 **0000**

" **Yes!" Cheered Audino. "I'm so happy Eevee's participating! Oh this will be lovely!"**

 **0000**

" **No, no, no, no, NO!" Eevee screeched. "This was a horrible decision! Throw me a bone, Arceus! PLEASE!"**

 **0000**

Minccino was reading over a list. "Okay…..Ninjask for cleverness…Swampert for toughness….and….Tepig for coolness. We still need beauty and cuteness."

"Well you're pretty fluffy. Why don't you go for cuteness?" Asked Scrafty bluntly.

Minccino looked down. "Ugh I guess? Shuckle, Bidoof or Munchlax could do it too though."

"We're good!" Called Shuckle, the three of them busy playing go fish.

Minccino slapped a hand to her forehead. "Fiiiiiiiine."

Tepig tapped a foot impatiently. "Yeah but what about the beauty? I doubt any of the girls here can beat Lopunny in-"

"Finish that sentence and there WILL be consequences," growled Braixen, lighting her stick. Grovyle nodded, folding her arms.

"Whatever, can we just pick a girl?" asked Sableye. "You guys are all pretty."

"But who's the prettiest, that's the problem," groaned Minccino.

Slowly, everyone turned to Umbreon, who looked up in alarm. "What!?"

"Oh come on, Umbreon, you're hot, and we need to win," said Munchlax in exasperation.

"No!" Umbreon snarled. "This goes against everything I stand for!"

"Oh that's fine," said Ninjask in mock understanding. "Besides if we lose, we now have a candidate for the elimination ceremony!"

Gallade interjected quietly. "He has a point. Numbers are beginning to thin, and we're ALL looking for a way to keep ourselves in."

"ARCEUS FINE!" Shouted Umbreon through grit teeth. "But if we lose you are NOT voting me off, clear?"

"Crystal," replied Ninjask smoothly.

"Hey uh….I hate to break it to you, but we're already screwed," said Munchlax awkwardly. "Bulbasaur hired a whole makeup team. How do we compete with that?"

Grovyle shrugged. "Eh I know a thing or two about applying makeup. But someone's going to need to pin down Umbreon when I put it on her."

Umbreon sighed. "She has a point."

Shuckle hopped up and down. "Ooh! And I have a few costumes in my wacky wagon!"

Scrafty cocked his head. "Uh….why the hell do you have-"

"Don't MESS WITH MY WACKY WAGON!"

 **0000**

 **Umbreon rolled her eyes. "Damn weirdos. Shit now I have to actually CARE about my appearance. And NO, I was not flattered when they called me hot."**

 **A slight smile formed on her face. "Okay, maybe a little."**

 **0000**

Over the next few hours, the competing campers found themselves being poked, prodded, and pulled. Some, like Lopunny, enjoyed the attention, while others, like Umbreon, threatened to kill their makeup crew in their sleep.

Ampharos leaned back with Donphan and Carbink. "Hey guys? Ever feel like we never really do anything? Should we…. contribute more or something?"

Donphan snorted. "You mega evolved in that soccer challenge and helped us win, though that might have been a bit too early if you ask me."

Ampharos shrugged. "Nah dude. I'm here to enjoy myself, not freak out about threats or timing. Besides, now that I've used it, no one will see ME as a threat, right?"

Donphan looked at him in astonishment. "That's not a bad idea, actually. I'm surprised you had such a strategic mind."

Ampharos snorted. "Who me? Nah. But uh…. people like Charizard or Zorua? They scare me with all their weird strategy and intensity."

"Hey uh…dude? We can all hear you," said Infernape sheepishly. Charizard, Zorua, and Audino where all staring at them.

"Well shit," said Ampharos, slapping a hand to his face. Donphan sighed.

 **0000**

 **Donphan glared at the camera. "Zorua and Charizard indeed. Unfortunately, Carbink seems to be completely safe under the radar. He can't stay in the game, but I don't want too much attention. Perhaps I could find a way to tip everyone off…. hmm…."**

 **0000**

"All right! It's time for the Total Pokkemon Contest spectacular! I'm your host Victini, and here are my two significant others!" Victini had a flashy grin on his face, and he was sitting in between Hariyama and Phione. The three of them were wearing tuxedos, and Victini even had a carnation in his pocket.

"Our ten competitors have prepared their outer looks, and now it's time to show their inner talents! Anything to add, you too?"

Hariyama nodded. "Is very exciting, no? A test of toughness will be interesting!"

Phione gave a cheeky grin. "I wonder what they'll cook up for cleverness and coolness? Ooh Victini just start already, I'm TOO EXCITED TO WAIT!"

"You said it Mana-er, Phione. Now while the two campers show off their skills, we have the rest of their teams setting up special effects to give the show a flash edge. As long as they don't blow something up!" said Victini cheerfully. "Now without further ado, let's start it up!"

The crowd around the stage roared in anticipation. Carbink peered from behind the curtain.

"Where did they get so many people to come? It's not like we're a popular show," said Carbink skeptically.

Bulbasaur leaned over and whispered to him. "My dad is paying them. Don't tell Victini though, he's been ecstatic."

Ninjask, overhearing, grinned evilly. "You don't say."

"THE FIRST BOUT IS CLEVERNESS! CAMPERS, TAKE YOUR STAGE!"

Ninjask's eyes went wide. "Shit that's me!"

The stage began whirring and shaking, before two podiums, jeopardy style, emerged from the ground. A blackboard came up as well, along with a lot of lab and technical equipment.

Victini rubbed his hands together. "ON THE LEFT CORNER! HERE'S SLOWKING!"

Slowking floated out, reading a book. He had on a lab coat that managed to fit him loosely, with some strange utensils sticking out of his coat pocket. He gave the crowd a cool smirk, before taking out some vials. Throwing them out to the crowd, they exploded with various effects. Some turned into hearts, that caused the couple it surrounded (a Combusken and a Xatu) to lean in kiss. Another washed over a blind Togetic, who suddenly shook his head astonished, suddenly being able to see. Others simply flew into the air as fireworks, creating images of Slowking and the word: Seviper.

Slowking stood at his podium, waving to the crows, who roard in approval.

Victini looked amazed. "And a promising start for Slowking! What did you think, Phione?"

Phione held two thumbs up. "A perfect clash of beauty and cleverness! Simply remarkable"

Haryiama was a astonished. "Did….anyone notice all the ailments being cured. This is incredible, no?"

Victini whooped. "And did you SEE those fireworks! Fantastic!"

Phione threw up his hands. "Remarkable!"

Haryiama was still trying to process what had happened. "But no, back to the blind-"

"ON THE RIGHT CORNER IS MY BEST FRIEND NINJASK!" Phione shouted.

Victini sighed. "Oy Vey."

Ninjask rolled out in Shuckle's wagon, though it had some clear enhancements. It was now a bluish green, with several definitions of words on the side, including the definition of contest, victory, and cleverness. The wagon itself now had an engine, and drove in circles around an amused Slowking.

Ninjask was typing on a tiny computer that seemed like it was made to suit him, and he tapped a key that sent blasts out of tiny openings in the wagon. They were green and they all resembled numbers, equations, solutions, and even a few pie charts.

Ninjask typed something in, and suddenly the engine roared to life once more, and he shot forward towards the crowd, with the front row screaming as he seemed about to crash.

But at the last second, wings shot out from the sky, and Shuckle's wagon took to the air. The crowd oohed and ahhed as Ninjask flew several laps around the stadium, skimming the Hidenloon quartz 3000, (which was still displaying advertisements), before lightly touching down behind the podium.

Though he initially seemed to short at first, he tapped another key, and the adjustable seat shot up, putting him on the same level as Slowking, and revealing that he was wearing a simple sport's coat that somehow fit hem perfectly. On the vest, several badges revealing academic achievements could be seen, and on the back the word 'genius' was prominently displayed in flashing lights.

While Victini sulked, Hariyama and Phione were clapping heartily.

 **0000**

 **Minccino grinned. "With Sableye's technological expertise, the special effects were a shoo in! We would have picked Sableye himself, but Ninjask has a quick wit and well….."**

 **She cringed. "Sableye is a little socially awkward."**

 **0000**

 **Sableye was dunking his hand in peanut butter and stuffing it into his face. He glared at the camera. "What are YOU looking at?" He said through his peanut butter filled mouth.**

 **0000**

"Oy! Very impressive, especially with the computer acting as control for wagon," praised Hariyama.

"Yeah! That was truly remarkable!" Cheered Phione.

Victini sighed. "Yes….it was great, now let's move ON! We'll be asking you two questions that competitors of your academic brilliance should easily answer. The one who answers the best wins!"

Phione coughed. "Uh…first question! What exactly, is Pi?"

Slowking smirked. "Elementary."

On the blackboard, a piece of chalk floated in the air, beginning to write. Slowking wasn't even looking, and he recited his answer. "3.14159265359-"

Ninjask on the other hand, simply tapped a key on his laptop and leaned back. Soon, a voice was emitted from its speakers, drowning out Slowking.

"The word Pi or Pie has several definitions. Pie. Noun. a baked dish of fruit, or meat and vegetables, typically with a top and base of pastry. Pie is also often used to describe a complete Pizza. Pi. Mathematical. Pi is a number - approximately 3.142. It is the circumference of any circle divided by its diameter. The number Pi, denoted by the Greek letter π - pronounced 'pie', is one of the most common constants in all of mathematics. It is the circumference of any circle, divided by its diameter."

The crowd roared at the two displays of intelligence, but Slowking simply scoffed.

"I fail to see how your reliance on an ultraportable proves your brilliance in any regard. In fact, I have reason to believe that any of your effects were the result of your own brainpower or quick thinking. My theory, while not yet a fact but still entirely plausible and probable; is that it was Sableye who orchestrated all of your so called 'brilliance'. You are nothing but a spokesperson, or a puppet, if you will."

The crowd gasped at Slowking's attack, while Ninjask simply arched a brow.

"Heh, big talk coming from the guy who relies on a shell with an overbite to think, or even stay awake. Two weeks ago you didn't even know what a number _was,_ much less how to equate it. In fact, well lookie here. I found your grades from high school. Not looking to hot, are they?"

Ninjask twirled around the computer, where he had apparently managed to hack into Slowking's grades. The crowd recoiled. They were…. atrocious. Slowking went even pinker than usual.

Victini wolf whistled. "And we've gotten some barbed remarks from BOTH geniuses. Know what would make this even better?"

The crowd began chanting. "RAP BATTLE! RAP BATTLE! RAP BATTLE!"

"The crowd has spoken! Rap battle it is!" Phione said with a wink.

Victini threw two microphones, Slowking catching them telepathically and handing one to Ninjask.

"Right then. Let's begin."

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: OKAY! So this rap will be done in song format, so it won't be too different. I imagine Ninjask's rhymes are more quick and off the wall, while Slowking's are slower and more deliberate. Hope I don't screw this up guys!"

Ninjask: _Here we go, can't wait to start, oh man I can't wait to beat this ugly old tart, I'm Ninjask, first class, what does this guy got? A dopey expression, and some shitty ass concept art._

The crowd shouted in approval as Ninjask flew out of the wagon and flying circles around Slowking.

Ninjask: _Look at this guy's crown, is this guy a king? If you said no well ding, ding, ding! This guy's so slow he'd be better off using brawn, but the only way he can beat you is by making you yawn!"_

Slowking chuckled coldly, his eyes glowing psychic power.

Slowking: _Cleverness is subjective, and there's potential for us all, but when Arceus created you, he clearly dropped the ball. I may be slower, but don't be so rash, a single rock throw and you'll be out in a flash. You're an insect, the vermin of the earth, I bet you make your mother wish she'd died in childbirth. You think you're so smart, unlike any other, but you can't fool me; I've seen you around your brother._

He raised his arm, telepathically grabbing equipment and rearranging it into a giant cannon.

Slowking: _I'm a psychic, you like it? I just designed it now. If I weren't so intent on beating you, I'd go and take a bow. You might be quick, but I'm on a different level. I am Johnny, and you are the devil. So go ahead, show me what you can play, because I don't need to use mind reader to know you're getting flayed._

With a jerk, he fired the cannon, but Ninjask swooped to the side, easily dodging.

Ninjask: _That all you got, is that really it? You think you can beat me, but you're still as slow as shit._

Ninjask shot forward at blinding speeds, striking hard at Slowking.

Ninjask: _Speed Boost, you're gonna lose, super effective. I'd give up now, because you're just getting rejected. You call yourself a psychic, you tired old buffoon? I see you have some utensils there, but you know what you haven't got? Spoons._

Ninjask struck again, landing a critical hit and forcing Slowking to stumble.

Ninjask: _I know from my times with Victini when my foe is beat. So c'mon you Alakazam rip-off, why not just admit defeat? You always seem so sleepy, so just take a dirt nap!_

Slowking stretched his back, growling. " _Defeat? Ha! Now it's time to end this, I hope you're prepared._

He took off Shelder from his head, sliding it down his arm and spinning it like a basketball.

Slowking: _I'm slow but I'm quick._

Shelder: Hey!

Slowking: _Sleepy but slick._

Shelder: Hey!

Slowking: _And if you think I'm finished you're nothing but thick._

Carbink: Hey!

Slowking created a barrier with his mind, distorting dimensions.

Slowking: _Slow I may be, but soon you'll see. With a bit of insight, and as long as I'm not brash…_

The trick Room gave Slowking blinding speed, and he teleported behind Ninjask, who gasped.

Slowking: _And so you can see, I too can be fast._

He fired a psychic blast at close range, sending Ninjask. Slowking slowly walked up to Ninjask's crumpled form.

Slowking: _And here we are, doesn't this ring a bell? Exactly as I predicted, so all's well that ends well._

At that final rhyme, the crowd roared in appreciation. Phione and Hariyama clapped hard, and Victini looked like he was crying in happiness.

"THE CLEAR WINNER IS SLOWKING!"

 **0000**

 **Ninjask snarled. "It. Just. Got. Personal."**

 **0000**

 **Slowking was chugging a water bottle. "Goodness, that took a lot out of me." He fell over, snoring.**

 **0000**

"IT'S TIME TO TEST THE COOL SIDE OF THINGS! INFERNAPE, COME ON IN!" yelled Phione.

The stage changed, becoming darker. Ramps were on one side, and wildlife was on the other.

Infernape, shot forward on the stage on his skateboard, doing many tricks and enticing applause. He was wearing shades, a leather jacket, and bandages were wrapped around his arms. Infernape landed on his feet, tossing his skateboard on his head.

"AND HEEEEEEEERE'S TEPIG."

Unlike Infernape, Tepig casually walked in, but spikes shot out from the ground. Tepig maneuvered around them, and jumped to the side to avoid a heavy axe swinging his way. More traps sprung, but Tepig dodged them all. Finally, he managed to make it to the other side, and gave the audience a roguish grin. Girls screamed, and many of them fainted instantly.

Infernape's jaw went slack. How was he supposed to compete with that?

Tepig greeted the crowd. "How are you lot today? I tell you, I've never been better. I'm here till Thursday, by the way, and-"

Infernape punched Tepig hard in the face, sending him stumbling backwards. "Wow. Nice right hook, mate."

Infernape used all of his speed, striking Tepig hard and fast, repeatedly hitting him over and over. But Tepig's cheerful grin did not fade.

"Ow. This hurts-OW! A lot mate, but I've gotta-THERE'S THE LIVER-gotta respect your craft. Tell me have you been working out?"

Infernape looked exhausted as Tepig lightly brushed himself off, bruised but still standing. "Yup. That there's the liver. Might want to get that checked out-"

Infernape punched Tepig in the face with all of his power, causing him to jerk his head to the side and spit out blood. Tepig groaned, but rubbed his mouth. Infernape gaped, before falling down and curling into fetal position.

"IT'S NOT FAIR! P-PUNCHING SHOULD SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM!"

Tepig winked. "Now THIS reminds me of a joke. What did the Nidoran say to the out of control Infernape?"

"WHAT?" Called the crowd.

Tepig clapped his hands. "Stop MONKEYING AROUND!"

The whole crowd burst into laughter as Infernape continued bawling. Victini sighed.

"I think it's safe to say who won. You two agree?"

Hariyama nodded sagely. "Yes. Tepig is making with the coolness."

Phione grinned. "Tepig was so cool! Remarkable!"

"THEN TEPIG IS OUR WINNER!"

Tepig waved to the crowd, causing the crowd to swoon. "You lot have been excellent! Take care all!"

 **0000**

 **Zorua's eye twitched. "Well there goes our chances of VICTORY! Well at least now we have a good candidate for elimination."**

 **0000**

 **Infernape was still blubbering…"N-not fair…p-punching should….WAAAAAAAAAAAH!"**

 **0000**

Swampert and Charizard were grappling each other in a wrestling match as the crowd looked on in the toughness contest. Charizard was wearing camouflage like a soldier, while Swampert had on a karate Gi that managed to flatter his muscles. The two fought back and forth, until Charizard, with his ability to fly, threw him away. Swampert picked up a large boulder, but Charizard swung his head in a vicious head-butt, smashing apart the boulder and knocking Swampert out. Finally, the Seviper's were on the board.

In the cuteness contest, Minccino was in a adorable dress, and Eevee was dressed in her yukata. The two danced around, jumped in puddles, tickled each other, and generally did things that made the crowd coo. That is, until Minccino accidentally slapped Eevee in the face, and the poor fox started crying.

Minccino cringed. "I'm sorry! I went too far! I-I"

The crowd began booing Minccino, and the chinchilla snapped, giving the entire crowd a middle finger. "Oh go eat a dick!"

The repulsed crowd now began chanting Eevee's name, causing her to perk up.

"Th-they like me? They really like me?" Eevee said to herself, astonished. Audino gave her a thumbs up, her eyes shining.

"M-maybe I don't have to be so scared…." Said Eevee in realization, before feeling something shifting.

She managed a smile. "I-I think I'm ready."

Eevee glowed in a harsh light, and for the first time the crowd went completely silent. When it faded, Eevee had become pink, with wide blue eyes. She rose in size, her ears becoming longer, the tips turning blue. Ribbons tied around her ears.

"I-I think I'm Sylveon now!"

The cheers were deafening, and it was clear now who won. The Seviper's spirits rose. They had TIED with the Zangeese.

"That evolution was perfectly timed and most incredible," Haryiama said dryly.

Phione rubbed his hands together. "Yeah! Truly remarkable!"

Victini smirked. "This is it, folks! The final challenge of the contest! It's BEAUTY TIME!"

 **0000**

 **Sylevon looked amazed. "I-I need time to process this but…" she sniffed, crying, but this time in joy. "Thank you Audino! Thank you Umbreon! Thank you everyone who helped me get this far! I love you Swalot in the back row. Wingull, Pinsir, Spinda-"**

 **0000**

 **Infernape had a nosebleed. "This is embarrassing. I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF SHE'S LEGAL!"**

 **0000**

Lopunny strutted on the stage, and just when Infernape thought his nosebleed was under control it went off again. Lopunny was wearing perfect makeup and a loose blue dress that flattered her curves. Her long legs were bare.

Umbreon was wearing eye liner, and a white dress that contrasted extremely well with her black body. Her yellow lights were bright, and she looked stunningly beautiful. For once, she looked lithe and graceful, twirling around and dancing.

 **0000**

 **Umbreon snarled. "Yes. I learned Ballet. Now let's FORGET ABOUT THAT!"**

 **0000**

The crowd was completely silent as the two danced. Lopunny focused more on looking seductive and sensual, while Umbreon focused on grace. But while Lopunny was gorgeous, Umbreon used her dark powers to create powerful beams and shadows that swirled around her, slowly capturing the attention of everyone around her. Lopunny grit her teeth. At this point she was going to lose!

"HEY! LOPUNNY YOU CAN WIN THIS! JUST USE YOUR MEGA EVOLUTION!" Carbink called. Lopunny froze. SHIT!

"Uh. No! I'm not wasting it-"

But Zorua jumped in on the opportunity. "YOU BETTER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE KICKED OFF! With your mega you could win this easily!"

Lopunny tried to resist, but everyone was looking at her expectantly, even the crowd.

"UGH! FINE!" Lopunny gripped her stone, and everyone watched in anticipation….

But nothing happened.

"Uh…Lopunny?" Asked Ampharos, but Lopunny waved him off, gritting her teeth.

"Give me a minute! C'mon! WHY ISN'T THIS WORKING!?"

"Oh suuuuuuuure it's not," said Zorua rolling her eyes. The others were all looking at her suspiciously as well. Lopunny looked at her mutinously, before suddenly being struck by one of Umbreon's shadow attacks.

"Oops," mumbled the dark type. "Got carried away."

As the crowd booed Lopunny, Victini wagged his finger annoyingly. "That isn't very attractive of you Lopunny. So we declare the winner of the Beauty contest to be….UMBREON! AND THEREFORE THE ZANY ZANGEESE WIN!"

Haryiama clapped hard. "Beautiful work, all of you."

Phione laughed. "That was REMARKA-HEY!" Victini lifted him up with his psychic powers, throwing him back into the ocean.

"Thank Arceus that's over."

 **0000**

 **Lopunny growled. "I WASN'T LYING! WHY WON'T THEY BELIEVE ME!"**

 **0000**

 **Lucario looked thoughtful. "Lopunny wouldn't do that….would she?"**

 **0000**

 **Carbink winked. "I KNEW my plan would take down a mega evolution! She didn't even know what hit her!"**

 **0000**

 **Umbreon was gagging. "My reputation…is ruined…. I won a….BEAUTY Pageant. OH Arceus I'm going to be sick."**

 **0000**

"And here we have the final two!" Victini said, looking down at Lopunny and Infernape. The rest of the Seviper's team had gotten their poffins, and the winners of the contests had won cute ribbons that they wore on their chests. Umbreon looked uncomfortable, but was secretly proud of her victory.

Lopunny trembled, and Infernape's teeth were chattering. Victini cleared his throat. All that shouting caused him to nearly lose his voice.

"Infernape, you…..sucked. Just sucked badly. Lopunny, you did better, but you refused to mega evolve-"

"THAT WASN'T MY FAULT!"

Victini held up a hand. "Which is why you get the final Poffin."

He tossed it to her. Lopunny jumped up, her hands outstretched-

"NOT! HERE YOU GO INFERNAPE!" said Victini, flicking his finger and throwing the poffin to an astonished Infernape instead.

"Now go and pack up already, I'm sick!" Victini said, snapping his fingers and teleporting away. The Seviper cast awkwardly left, and only Sylveon, Audino, and Lucario stayed to say goodbye.

 **0000**

 **Charizard growled. "She was never a team player, and I always let that slide. But this was too far. Farewell, Lopunny."**

 **0000**

 **Infernape gulped. "M-man I just dodged a bullet."**

 **0000**

 **Lopunny looked extremely annoyed. "WHAT THE SHIT WAS THIS KIND OF ELIMINATION! URGH I SWEAR IF THERE'S SOMONE BEHIND THIS I'LL-"she sighed taking a deep breath. "Still…. I had fun. Lucario, you got this! Show them girl power! Now get me off this cheap ass show!"**

 **0000**

 **Lucario sighed sadly. "I hate this game."**

 **0000**

Tepig and Minccino were sitting off by themselves, though Minccino looked somewhat distracted.

"Hey…. what is it love?"

Minccino bit her lip. "Something's bugging me with this Lopunny incident. I asked Swampert to see if his mega stone worked….and it didn't."

Tepig whistled. "You mean someone SABOTAGED the bloody stones?"

Minccino nodded. "Yes….and we all know what these schemers do in these types of games."

"Er and what is that?"

Minccino rolled her eyes. "Oh shut up and help me find out who did it!"

"Oy! Okay love, no need to get hostile!"

0000

Victini was off by himself, digging a stick into the sand, when he heard a cough. Whirling around, he was facing Manaphy, who was glaring at him.

"We have a lot to discuss."

Victini gulped. "Y-yeah, we do."

0000

Whoo that was long!

Dammit I liked Lopunny! Carbink stop being such a shithead, eh?

Oh and I just got Pokken! Fantastic game, I recommend it for all of you! Especially if you main Gengar, because Gengar is the best!

I finished this pretty early, eh? Don't expect any more like that, seriously.

HAVE FUN Y'ALL!


	15. Chapter 15: Finding Sableye

`It's Shuckle Master back with another chapter! I've been in a sort of funk lately, but I think I'm over it.

Who...is this Neanderthal guy and why does everybody hate him? Intriguing…

Whoops, caught off guard there. Uh...Next chapter, begin!

0000

It had been a week since the last challenge, and everyone was getting antsy. According to rumors, apparently something had happened to Victini, and they had not seen him at all since the Pokemon Contest. Hariyama still cooked them food and act as a supervisor, but he'd disappear a lot as well.

Most of the campers realized that they hated Victini and were treating his absence like a vacation. At the beach, Sylveon and Umbreon were resting on the sand, while Infernape, Ampharos, Bulbasaur, and Grovyle and Lucario were playing volleyball. Zorua was sitting off by herself, drawing circles into the sand.

Sylveon kept staring at the volleyball game with a look of longing. "Wow...they're really good huh…"

"Yep," said Umbreon, not looking up from the book she was reading.

"It um….looks like they're having a lot of fun…."

"Mmmm."

"A LOT of-"

"Goddammit Sylveon, just go already. Have fun," Umbreon muttered. Sylveon gave her a grateful smile, before quickly running over. She stopped in her tracks, however, when Ampharos was hit in the face and sent spinning into the sand.

"Whooops, sorry man!" Infernape chattered. "Used a little too much power there."

Ampharos clutched his head with a moan. "I'm fine…..gonna go sit out for a while though….owwwwwwww."

Sylveon saw the exchange with wide eyes. This was her chance! She could do this. She had evolved, and now she could move past her stereotype of just being the resident shy girl! She took a deep breath as the other three looked expectantly at her.

"Murrphurrurffhr," Syleveon muttered.

"Eh?" Asked Infernape.

"Can I….join?" Asked Sylveon.

Infernape's face lit up. "Sure! We're down a member anyway."

Grovyle made a gesture. "C'mon, girl power!"

As the four started playing, Ampharos stumbled over to an amused Umbreon. 

"Thanks for taking one for the team," she muttered.

"No problem," Said Ampharos good naturedly. "She looks happy. Hey-why is Zorua sitting alone?"

"I sit alone all the time," said Umbreon apathetically.

"Well yeah, but you're uh….you know, you," said Ampharos, scratching his head. "Zorua on the other hand, may be-"

"A total bitch," finished Umbreon dryly.

"That yeah, but she usually isn't by herself. I'm gonna go check on her," said Ampharos, making up his mind.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Umbreon snorted, settling down in her beach towel for a nap as Ampharos bravely walked over to Zorua.

"Uh….hey Zorua. You okay?" Ampharos asked.

Zorua's eyes narrowed. "Fine. Why do YOU care?"

Ampharos sighed. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. "Well you looked lonely, and I figured you could use some company?" 

"I could USE some personal space, skeeze."

"Really? You're really gonna do this?" Asked Ampharos, folding his arms.

"Yeah! I mean….ugh fine, what?" Zorua asked.

"Clooooooooooooser."

"NNgh…..I'm s-sorry, okay? Can we move on?" Zorua snapped angrily. "Do you LIKE picking on cute girls."

"Nah, only you. C'mon let's go do something," said Ampharos.

"Why? What have I ever done that would make you want to hang out with me?" Asked Zorua, honestly confused.

Ampharos shrugged. "You exist? Ah it doesn't matter. Let's go get lunch."

Zorua sighed. "Fine. But you BETTER believe you're paying for it."

 **0000**

" **Bah, Zorua isn't that bad, I can tell. I guess Haxorus rubbed off to me," Said Ampharos proudly. "And besides, Zorua's really pretty. You think a girl like her and a guy like me….?"**

 **0000**

 **Zorua looked down, an angry blush on her face. "The game, Zorua. Focus on the game."**

 **0000**

"And so this bloke comes towards me, right? He's a really big Slaking. So-and this is the brilliant part, threatens me on my life if I don't cut the lip, he'll lay me out. So I say, "Stop going ape-shit, mate!" said Tepig, delivering the punch line.

Ninjask, Sableye, Bidoof and Braixen laughed hysterically, banging on the table. Tepig tipped his hat, clearly pleased with himself.

"Unfortunately, he took exception to that, and that is why I'm legally dead in Hoenn."

"Wait, what!?" Gasped Braixen.

"Hey in my defense, the bloke had really big arms-"

"No I'm talking about the part where you DIED!" said Braixen in disbelief. "Like dude, what?"

"Oh I was only mostly dead," reassured Tepig. "There's quite a big difference between mostly dead and 'all' dead. You're still slightly alive, you see."

He leaned in. "Course those damn Honies can't tell the difference."

Sableye looked up indignantly. "I'M from Hoenn, you dinglehopper!"

"Tepig, that's offensive!" Hissed Minccino, coming over. "The politically correct term is Hoennese."

Braixen rose an eyebrow. "Hey Minnie? Did you see Bulbasaur around? We were supposed to make cupcakes today."

Minccino shook her head. "Sorry Braixen. Haven't seen him. He's probably hanging out of his team. Tepig, honey? Can I talk to you for a second?"

Tepig winked. "Time to consult the missus. Lead the way, sheila."

Minccino rolled her eyes, but pulled him over to another table, empty save for Swampert.

"I have an idea."

Tepig raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Really?"

"Tepig, stop that!" Minccino snapped. "Look. I've been checking the ins and outs of the island, including the cabins, and I noticed something interesting in the Sevipers."

"You're quite the detective, aren't you love?" Tepig replied.

"Shut up, and getting information is part of the line of being a lawyer. Here...look I took some pictures from Sylveon's cameras."

Tepig whistled as he looked them over. "Is stealing part of being a lawyer as well?"

"Only your heart," Minccino said with a wink. Tepig shrugged and wrapped an arm around her.

Minccino pointed at the picture of the Seviper cabin. "You see those marks in some of the bunks? Someone carved a 'C' into the beds for the Pokemon who lost a mega stone."

Tepig raised an eyebrow. "Were some not taken?"

"Apparently. Gallade and Sableye on our side, and Lucario on theirs. My guess is that they couldn't risk going after Lucario because she keeps her mega stone on her pendant, and NOBODY knows whether Gallade even has one, much less where he keeps it."

"So….the primary candidates would be….Sableye then….?" Tepig said.

"Yes, but the C on the bunks bother me too. I think it's a message. An initial..?" Minccino was thinking hard.

"Well the only two Pokemon here with C as the first letter of their name. Carbink and Charizard, right?"

Minccino nodded. "But can you see the problem?"

Tepig blinked. "I don't know, sheila you're losin' me."

Minccino sighed in exasperation. "Charizard had a 'C' on his bunk bed, and Carbink has no limbs to carve wood with. Which means-"

"Ah..they weren't the ones who carved the 'C'. Well that brings us-"

"To square one, yes," Minccino said with a sight. "Well….I guess we'd better keep looking for clues. We have some suspect at the very least."

Swampert coughed. "Forgive me for interrupting, but perhaps it would be best if you stayed out of it. It doesn't affect you, right? I'm sure you're chances of winning the game would be higher if you simply just didn't get involved."

Tepig nodded appreciatively, but Minccino shook her head. "Sorry, Swampert, but if there is a schemer on the island, I want to know. I may not be affected by it now, but if they stay in the game it sure as hell will be my problem eventually."

Swampert shrugged. "As you wish."

 **0000**

 **Minccino's eyes were narrowed. "Sorry, but no schemers on MY island are getting away with it."**

 **0000**

 **Braixen rubbed her forehead. "Bulbasaur has been pretty withdrawn lately. Has Grovyle been feeding him bad information about me?"**

 **0000**

"Bulbasaur, be careful!" Audino called, concerned.

"You're gonna blow a gasket," Said Scrafty, lighting a cigarette.

Bulbasaur had been concentrating hard for the past three days, only stopping to eat and sleep. Audino had been hovering over him, doing her best to ensure his safety.

"Sylveon...so…..cool….must….attain...that...awesomeness...by….evolving…" Bulbasaur muttered under his breath.

Ninjask flew down with a snicker. "Oh would you look at that. Something money can't buy."

"Dude shut up!" Shouted Bulbasaur with a gasp, finally breaking his concentration and flopping to the ground.

"He has a point," Scrafty said. Audino threw him a dirty look, but instead spoke to the weakened grass type.

"Are you sure there isn't some deeper reason to all of this?" Audino asked skeptically.

"Gotta….impress...her…...uh...no...him. Gotta impress him…..totally...Munchlax….yes….."

"Whatever you say," Audino said uncomfortably.

Scrafty twirled the cigarette in his fingers. "So do you guys think we'll have a challenge soon, or did Victini have a heart attack and die?"

"That's not nice!" Audino gasped.

"I'm not nice. And neither is he."

"Amen to that," Ninjask nodded in agreement. "But still, I'm pretty fed up with waiting."

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Shouted Bulbasaur, tapping into all of his energy until….

Poof!

A seed burst out of his bulb, exploding and turning into a powder that descended over the area. Ninjask, Audino, and Scrafty fell down, fast asleep.

Bulbasaur blushed. "Whoops."

0000

Ampharos and Zorua sat at one of the outside tables, forcing down lunch. Ampharos winked at her, rubbing his hands together and generating electricity.

"This isn't so bad, right?"

Zorua looked down. "It's….tolerable."

Ampharos grinned. "Progress eh? So what were you doing by yourself anyw-ahh!" Ampharos stumbled, spilling his soup all over the table. "Sorry!"

Zorua looked like she wanted to snap, but somehow….she didn't. "It's fine."

The two cleaned off the table, and Ampharos said hesitantly, "Look….I know in terms of this game you're kinda ruthless and I won't get in your way, but….just don't hurt anyone too badly okay?"

For the first time, she looked almost guilty. "I may...have already gone too far-" 

"Sir Ampharos!" Shouted Donphan, rolling over. "Why are you conversing with the she-witch? Has she possessed you with a curse?"

"Aaaaaand that's my cue," Zorua groaned, stalking off. Before she could get far, however, Haryiama's voice rang out.

"Campers! Report to camp immediately! Next challenge is beginning."

 **0000**

 **Zorua bit her lip. "Ugh….I can't second guess myself now. Ampharos is sweet, but a million dollars is way more important!"**

 **She hesitated. "On the other hand, I don't need to target him just yet. I suppose I can get to know him a little better….and maybe tone down my sabotage...only a little bit though!"**

 **0000**

" **Zorua has a heart? The Distortion World must be freezing over," said Donphan. "Huh...wait this is a brilliant line!** _ **And the love Zorua had for Donphan was so fierce-".**_

 **0000**

" **So Victini's got Igor to handle the challenge for him," Ninjask drawled. "The only good challenge he could come up with is surviving his cooking."**

 **0000**

Hariyama led the campers to a dirty terrain, many holes in the ground that implied underground tunnels. 

"Welcome to Haryiama's dig site. Your challenge is go underground and up again."

"Gonna need a little more explanation Harry," said Ninjask sarcastically.

"Uh….yes…..you must search first before coming up," Hariyama said, as if it explained everything.

"Looking for-what exactly?" Umbreon asked.

"Statues made out of gemstones. They are underground. Yes. Any questions?"

"I have one," said Infernape, raising a hand. "What's up with Victini?"

"He is….processing, yes? Will be well soon. Now go down tunnels," Hariyama ordered.

Shuckle gulped as he looked over the hole. "Um….how do we get down?"

"By climbing," Hariyama said. "Now move. Hariyama is busy."

With that he walked off.

"Hey!" Braixen shouted after him. "You still didn't explain anything, you sumo piece of shit!"

"Hey...uh Braixen, can I ask you something," Bulbasaur murmured. Braixen raised an eyebrow.

"What is it, little man? And why didn't you meet me in-"

"Do you want to go out some time?" Bulbasaur blurted out without thinking. For a moment, Braixen was stunned, stopping her from completing her accusation.

Bulbasaur immediately blushed, slapping himself with his vines. "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid-"

"Uh, no." Zorua was on top of them in a moment, looking on in disapproval. "You two dating is completely unacceptable."

"Why, because your soulless black heart can't stand to see people happy?" Asked Ninjask rhetorically.

"No, because you can't date between teams! Why does nobody get that!?" Zorua snarled.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid-"

"WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP FOR ONE SECOND!" Braixen shouted, her body exploding with flames. "I date who I want to, GOT IT!?"

Everyone went silent immediately, and Braixen turned to Bulbasaur, her anger forgotten and replied in a soothing tone.

"Look, you're a cute kid, but you aren't my type." She blinked. "Literally."

Bulbasaur looked crestfallen. "But….why?"

"I like burning shit down. You're a measly grass type. I could burn you down by accident, and no offense, but you look pretty delicate. And we couldn't live together, because grass types can't handle being near volcanoes."

"I can be tough too!" Bulbasaur protested. "I can take a burn, and learn firebreathing, and-wait you live at a volcano?"

Charizard stomped over. "Look. We can talk about this after the challenge, but we don't have time for this. We need to go."

Lucario sighed and dragged a whimpering Bulbasaur off. Tepig called after him.

"Don't worry mate! The grass type never gets picked! ...Unless you're a Snivy."

"Don't you think that was a little cold?" Asked Grovyle, raising an eyebrow.

Braixen snorted. "Hey. My life. Not yours, treehugger."

Minccino sprinted over. "We have a bigger problem then your love life. Sableye is gone."

"What did he try to mail himself to Hoenn again?" Asked Ninjask impatiently. Minccino rolled her eyes.

"Does anyone have any evidence as to where he could be?" She asked.

"Wait, Sableye? He jumped down the tunnel already," Said Shuckle pointing down to prove his point.

"What!?" Munchlax shouted. "Why?" 

Shuckle shrugged. "Uh...he mumbled something about keeping the statues for himself or….something about the Steven Universe hiatus?"

"Those two things….sound nothing alike," Scrafty said, scratching his head.

"Why didn't you STOP him!" Shouted Minccino.

Shuckle glared at her.

"Oh….right, sorry," Minccino admitted bashfully. "Ugh, we'd better get in then, the Seviper's have a head start on us."

Gallade sighed. "I'll find him. I'm a fairly good tracker."

Bidoof looked down into the tunnel. "So...er...who wants t' go first?"

 **0000**

 **Bulbasaur was trying not to cry. "Stay strong Bulbie. You can evolve, and that'll woo her over! Then...you won't be...as weak…."**

 **0000**

Syleveon carefully hopped down to the ground, the final Seviper to reach the underground tunnels.

"We stick together," Growled Charizard. "Getting lost is the last thing we need. We canNOT afford to lose this challenge."

"You're telling us," Donphan gulped, before reverting to his ordinary, flamboyant self."Now forward my comrades! This labyrinth holds much danger and mystery!"

"What he said," Ampharos mumbled without energy.

"Follow the light of my tail, and Infernape's head," Charizard said. "We'll find those statues in no time."

Carbink rolled his eyes. "Joy."

0000

"Alright, I'm three for three! And you guys are NOT screwing this up for me!" Said Minccino aggressively. "Not even that imp with the rock fetish is bringing us down. We're splitting up into teams. Swampert and Gallade, the two of you are gonna hunt down Sableye. With Umbreon's rings and Braixen's wand, you two will be in the lead of a team each. Umbreon, you'll take the three stooges, and Ninjask. With me and Braixen we're taking Scrafty and Tepig. Everybody clear?"

"Why don't I get to be in charge?" Asked Tepig.

"Because you'll find a way to kill all of us," Minccino said sweetly, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"What about Swampert and Gallade? They won't get a light source."

Swampert shook his head. "Being a ground type, I can feel vibrations on the earth. I'll be fine."

"Lack of eyesight is of no consequence to me as well," said Gallade shortly.

"If you say so," said Braixen with a shrug.

"Alright, we're good!" Minccino cheered. "Now let's give Seviper butt for the third time in a row!"

0000

Audino was humming merrily as she walked behind a much quieter Bulbasaur. They had been walking for quite some time now, but she was convinced they would find it soon.

"Hey….Did you just see something?" Sylveon whispered to her. Audino sighed. Sylveon never loved underground places.

"I'm sure we're-no….I DID see something that time," Audino said in a hushed tone.

Apparently, Charizard had as well, for he stopped suddenly. "I saw you! You can come out now!"

Silence.

Charizard snorted out fire. "There's no use hiding, we've seen you! You'd better hurry too, or it'll be a criminal offense!"

"It will?" Carbink asked Slowking, who ignored him...staring at the area where the thing had moved.

"Whatever it is….it's not a type I can easily read. Either ghost, dark, or possibly a psychic that is simply good at hiding their thoughts," He mused.

"Goddammit, if it's just Misdreavus haunting us, I'm going to bust that ghost so hard…" Zorua said with a growl.

"HISSSSSSSS! _Do not use those words in the same sentence!"_ A voice snapped back. Zorua screamed, jumping into Ampharos' arms.

"Ah! But wouldn't that be romantic!?" Donphan gushed, apparently completely ignoring the husky chatters. "Misdreavus, enraged and distraught from being separated from her beloved, takes her own life and returns to Pokemon island, now on a path of justice!"

"Dude….you need to tone down that shakespeare fetish," Ampharos said, shaking his head.

"Well, when someone has a passion similar to mine-"

Gallade leapt out of nowhere, slashing through the Sevipers like they were paper. When he past Charizard, he nailed him in the jaw, sending him spinning to the floor.

"That was revenge for burning me on that platform," he said indifferently as he moved through.

"Dammit, get him Infernape!" Charizard roared, and the monkey leapt forward, screeching like a maniac. Gallade kicked him in the stomach, throwing him back and meeting Lucario and Donphan in a vicious struggle.

Gallade was forced backwards, until Swampert grabbed Lucario and Donphan and slammed their heads together, knocking them out.

"Sorry about that," Swampert sighed.

Ampharos, Carbink, Sylveon, and Charizard all sent special attacks after the two of them. Swampert grunted as he formed a protective barrier, the impact of the attacks sending him sliding backwards.

Slowking smirked, grabbing the mudfish with his mind and throwing him into the wall. Gallade sprinted fast, landing several quick strikes on Slowking and kicking him into Audino.

Suddenly, he was blasted by a thunderbolt and thrown off his feet.

"Aha! Got him!" Ampharos cheered. "Do you think I paralyzed him!?"

Gallade was back on his feet in a second, lunging forward.

"Shit, shit, shit! Not paralyzed! Not paralyzed!" Ampharos screamed, shooting several more thunderbolts. Gallade dodged with ease, closing in on the shaved sheep. Ampharos raised his hand for a thunder punch, but Gallade kicked it to the side, before swinging down his scythes for a finishing blow….

But the hit never came. Ampharos was stunned to see Bulbasaur's vines wrapped around Gallade's tonfas, somehow holding him in check.

Gallade looked as astonished as Ampharos, aiming several kicks, but Bulbasaur's small stature allowed him to barely dodge.

"Someone hit him someone hit him someone HIT HIM!"

Sylveon sprinted forward without thinking, spinning and striking Gallade on the face with an iron tail. He fell backwards, rubbing his face as he rose to one knee.

But Swampert roared, throwing his fists into the ground and shaking the very earth, causing the entire Seviper team to stumble and sending down rocks between them and Gallade. Soon the way forward was completely blocked.

Charizard snarled. "Shit! They blocked our exit, we need to turn around now!"

Infernape, somehow conscious, leapt up to his feet. "Don't worry, but a few punched and we'll be through."

Zorua somehow bit back a biting comment, dropped from Ampharos' arms. "Let's...just turn around and find another route. This path is a bust."

Slowly, and not without complaining, they stumbled back to the last intersection.

On the other side, Gallade and Swampert were catching their breath.

"I'm sorry, I lost his trail," Gallade said. Swampert looked exasperated.

"Did you have to antagonize ALL of them?"

Gallade looked down. "Yes."

"Look, you are a powerful fighter, stronger even then I am, but having a warrior's pride only weakens you. If I might ask...What happened to your eye?" Swampert asked carefully.

Gallade shrugged. "Something bad happened. I don't wish to talk about it. But I understand my weakness, and I will learn from it. Thank you Swampert. We'd best get moving."

In another moment Gallade was gone, quick as a cat. Swampert shook his head, uneasy.

0000

" _Well, we dig dig dig,"_ Munchlax sang as he trudged along the path.

" _Well, we dig in our mine the whole way through,"_ Shuckle chimed in from his wagon.

" _Dig dig dig, tha's what we like t' do,"_ Bidoof finished.

"Will you three BE QUIET!?" Umbreon snapped. "I'm trying to focus!"

Scrafty simply rolled his eyes, holding up the lighter to shine a bit of the path. "I don't think we're going the right way. We seem...isolated."

Bidoof shrugged. "Well I reckon I could dig us a new path. We'll be on the right path as soon as you can say-"

"No. No more excuses to sing about Disney elf songs!" Umbreon growled.

"They're dwarves!" Munchlax shouted indignantly.

"I don't care."

Scrafty rose a hand. "Quiet. I thought I saw something."

"How? I didn't, and I have better eyes for the….dark?"

Two ruby eyes stared at the five Pokemon balefully.

"Do you believe me now?" Scrafty asked dryly.

"Shut up, nobody likes a sore winner," said Umbreon as she bared her teeth. But then her eyes widened as the creature lunged, silencing her….

0000

"Hey….Minccino?" asked Grovyle. "Are you okay?"

Minccino nodded, but her eye was twitching. "Yes….but….it's so….dirty here…"

"That's why they call it the underground, love," Tepig said with a knowing wink.

"Oh ha, ha. I'm fine guys, I'm just going to need a shower after this."

Everyone groaned.

"What?" Minccino demanded.

"It's just...Minccino, when you shower, it's not a short event," Said Grovyle in the kindest way possible. "You take over an hour, you use up all the shampoo, and I don't even REMEMBER what hot water feels like."

Minccino sighed. "Fine, I'll find a river or something…"

Ninjask snickered. "You can swim with the fish pee."

Minccino's eyes went wide. "Oh yeah screw that I'm taking the shower."

"You know, despite the long baths, you've been a lot better about your germaphobia," Braixen chimed in, looking back from the path she was lighting with her wand.

Minccino blushed. "Well….being around Tepig helps…."

"Aww...that's so sweet," Ninjask cooed in a falsetto voice.

"Shut up," she mumbled. "What's your problem with the underground anyway? You're almost as stressed out as I am."

Ninjask scowled. "I'm a cicada. I had to live underground for seventeen years. I'm not eager to go back."

"Wait..don't cicadas, like...die after a few weeks of being above ground?" asked Grovyle.

Ninjask blanched.

"Oh...er...I didn't mean it like-"

"I'M ON BORROWED TIME!" Ninjask shrieked.

"Hey guys, I think we made it!" Called Braixen.

"Yeah, here for my death! It's over for me! No more tormenting Victini, or flying, or-"

Minccino slapped him in the face with her tail. "Pull yourself together!"

Ninjask rubbed his jaw. "Sorry…."

They walked into what appeared to be a huge underground room. There were two platforms that were apparently meant for the two statues, but they were gone. Grovyle gasped when they saw Munchlax, Shuckle, Bidoof, and Scrafty tied up and gagged. And in front of them, laughing to himself was Sableye.

But...he wasn't exactly Sableye.

The jewel on his chest had grown in size, easily bigger than himself and detaching from his body, with Sableye using it as a shield. His pale blue eyes were now a crimson red, and his ears had elongated. When he grinned, his teeth were now yellow.

He was now mega Sableye.

" _Hehehehehehe…..those little fiends were no match for me…."_ Mega Sableye giggled. _"Now….I have….my precious….."_

"Wait, did you just steal the statues? And why did you attack your own team?" Asked Braixen, mistified.

Mega Sableye threw back his head and laughed. _"Cannot….tell lies…..hehehehehehehehe. Yes I took the jewels….they will make a wonderful birthday present…"_

"You're birthday was six months ago!" Ninjask called. Mega Sableye hissed at him. Meanwhile, Minccino's eyes went wide in realization.

"He can't lie in this form…."

" _No….I cannot. How annoying,"_ Mega Sableye muttered. _"But you want to take my precious away from me! You will be captured, just like the others!"_

"Not gonna happen!" Braixen growled, shooting out a jet of fire. Mega Sableye simply laughed and held his shield, easily absorbing the blow. Grovyle sprinted forward, the leaves on her arms turning into leaf blades, but Ninjask was faster, shooting forward like a bullet.

But despite Ninjask's incredible speed, Mega Sableye blocked all of his attacks with ease. Grovyle slashed with her leaf blade, but Mega Sableye simply swung his jewel, smacking her in the face and sending her flying back.

Ninjask used his opportunity, striking at Mega Sableye from behind, but the imp simply jumped in the air, and Ninjask rammed into the jewel, bouncing off into Mega Sableye's kick. Ninjask hit the ground with a muffled groan.

Tepig cracked his knuckles. "Our turn?"

Minccino shook her head wildly. "No way, we can't fight that!"

Mega Sableye cackled, hurling a shadow ball that struck Braixen in the stomach and sent her reeling. Swampert and Gallade entered the room just in time to see her crash into the wall.

'

"Do something!" Minccino shrieked, dodging out of the way of a Will O' Wisp.

Gallade looked up at the mega, assessing his power immediately. "It won't be easy, but it's not impossible if we work as one."

Out of the third exit came Infernape, running into the room. "Woohoo I think we found-whoa."

Ampharos collapsed next to him. "Dude….what?"

Mega Sableye threw another shadow ball that Infernape dove under, but Ampharos simply flinched at is shot towards him…..

But then another shadow ball met it in the air, causing an explosion. Out of the last exit came an irritated Umbreon, who looked dishevelled and had a black eye.

"He. is. Going. To. Pay." She growled.

As the Sevipers poured into the room, Gallade cleared his throat.

"Sableye has both statues, so I suggest a truce. We bring him down together, and then we race to the end. It will be a fair game, so no tricks."

"Yeah, and how can we trust you?" Zorua asked suspiciously.

"You will get your statue fairly, that I promise you," said Swampert seriously.

"We accept," said Charizard. "We'll work together until we get the statues. Then our alliance ends."

Minccino nodded. "Give me a chance to face him, I have an idea."

Mega Sableye giggled as he watched the two teams preparing, not noticing Scrafty slowly using his lighter to burn through the ropes. He did however see the many long range attacks fired at him ahead of time, his jewel shield holding firm against them.

Donphan, Grovyle, and Tepig charged forward, but were met with a line of explosives that sent them flying. Slowking tried to use his psychic powers to grab the imp, but he couldn't.

"Oh right, psychic type," he muttered.

Lucario threw an aura sphere, with no effect.

"Oh right, ghost type," she muttered.

Out of nowhere, Ninjask lunged for Slowking. "This is revenge for that rap battle!"

Slowking simply caught him with his mind and tossed him to the ground. "Stop trying to be Gallade."

"I don't get it!"

Gallade himself struck at Mega Sableye with Lucario, the two trying to get past the mega evolution's incredible defenses, to no avail. Scrafty managed to break out of the rope, slowly edging his way over to Mega Sableye with a clever grin.

Mega Sableye thrust his jewel forward, smashing it into Lucario's face. She fell backwards, but landed on her feet, forming a bone rush in the shape of a staff. She aimed several strikes, but Mega Sableye easily blocked them.

"Sylveon, now!" Shouted Charizard, dodging a shadow ball.

"Right!" Sylveon exclaimed, immediately taking a picture. The flash went into Mega Sableye's eyes, and he screeched, momentarily dropping his guard and allowing Lucario and Gallade to land a hit as one.

Mega Sableye shrieked as he stumbled to his feet, the flash of the camera still blinding him. Scrafty wrapped his arm around his neck, holding the mega evolution back.

Mega Sableye let out a feral snarl, elbowing Scrafty in the stomach and forcing him off. In response, the hoodlum grabbed onto the jewel, trying to rip it out of his hands. The two tugged back and forth, struggling for control.

" _Get off,"_ Mega Sableye hissed. _"This is MY precious."_

"I thought the statues were your precious! Not that I'm not taking those either!" Scrafty said in retort.

Ampharos shot a thunderbolt, but it reflected off the jewel, forcing Umbreon and Ninjask to dive to the side to avoid.

" _Just let….go already!"_ Mega Sableye said desperately, tugging with all of his might.

"Sure thing pal," said Scrafty, letting go and watching the momentum smack the jewel into Mega Sableye's face.

" _Ow….AHHHHH!"_

He was only off guard for a minute, but it was long enough for Charizard to ram into him, catching him with his wing, before delivering a vicious headbutt that threw him to the earth, the jewel no longer in his grasp.

Minccino slid off Charizard's back, squaring off against the dizzy Mega Sableye.

"Alright Mega moron, it's time for your cross examination!" Minccino shouted, pointing at Mega Sableye, who gave her a yellow toothed smile.

" _Good….I welcome it…"_

Minccino glared at him. "I want to know where you were when the mega stones were stolen?"

"Wait, what?" Ampharos gasped. "Mega Stones were stolen?"

Charizard snorted. "I don't know what you're playing at Minccino, but we all have them."

Minccino looked startled, but took it in stride. "Thank you Charizard, you'll be our evidence against the witness...please try to activate your mega stone."

Charizard blinked, but took it out. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "It won't work!"

"Exactly," said Minccino. "With his craftsmenship skills and the fact that his mega stone hadn't been stolen, I accuse Sableye of stealing everyone's mega stones!"

Mega Sableye looked shellshocked. How had she figured out?

Carbink on the other hand, looked terrified as well, rapidly shaking his head to warn Sableye not to say anything.

"What do you have to say for yourself. Did you steal the mega stones? I know you can't lie in this form!"

Mega Sableye threw back his head and laughed. _"Eehehhehhhehehe…."_

"Well!" Demanded Minccino. "Did you?"

Mega Sableye struggled, as if he were forcing himself to remain silent.

"I want the truth!" Minccino shouted.

" _YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"_ Mega Sableye roared.

"DID YOU STEAL THE MEGA STONES!"

" _YOU'RE GODDAMN RIGHT I DID!"_ Mega Sableye admitted fiercely. Minccino looked almost shocked that he had admitted it, but it changed to a look of triumph.

"Thank you for your time." Minccino said with a bow.

Sylveon shot a dazzling gleam, catching Mega Sableye in the face and knocking him to the ground. With a groan, he reverted back to his normal self.

Scrafty grabbed one statue, and Infernape grabbed the other. The two looked at each other for a moment, before Infernape punched Scrafty in the face.

"Every Pokemon for himself!"

It was complete chaos in seconds.

 **0000**

 **Charizard glared at the camera. "If I wasn't off duty he'd be arrested. He is OFF this island!"**

 **0000**

" **Whooo! Four for four! I'm the best, arouuuuuuuuuuuuund!" Minccino sang joyfully.**

 **0000**

Hariyama stood with the campers who had made it to the top already. Only Bulbasaur and Braixen were still climbing, the latter having a head start.

Braixen winked. "If you want to go out with me, you're going to have to-whoa!"

Her foot slipped, and she screamed as she tumbled down the cliff. Bulbasaur gasped, wrapping a vine around her chest. He strained under the effort of trying to hold her.

"Hey….Bulbasaur….if you save my life I might reconsider your offer…" Braixen said with wide eyes, trying not to look down.

Bulbasaur slid down, trying to pull her up with all of his strength, but he was beginning to falter. Sweat poured down his face as he slowly slipped a little further…

But the Braixen's words hit him, and through sheer determination he glowed in a harsh light..

When the light faded, he had grown in size, his teeth had elongated into fangs, and the bulb on his back had bloomed.

He was now an Ivysaur.

Ivysaur gave a bark of effort, and _threw_ Braixen over to the top of the cliff. As he himself climbed, his teammates cheered, and Braixen sighed in relief.

"So….will you go out with me, NOW?" Ivysaur asked hopefully.

Braixen chuckled. "Let's take it slow, okay? Though I can't really call you 'kid' anymore, can I?"

"That's all well and good," Zorua snapped. "But thanks to you we LOST THE CHALLENGE!"

"Not quite," said Haryiama, pointing down. Shuckle and Sableye hadn't even begun climbing.

"We couldn't get the wagon up!" Shuckle called. Sableye was still unconscious.

"So….that means we won!" Ampharos cheered. The Sevipers laughed at their first victory in several weeks. The Zangeese all glared at Shuckle.

"How did you even get it down in the first place?" Asked Ninjask, mystified.

"We'll worry about that later…" Said Minccino. "Firstly though, we're getting those stones back. Tell Sableye to lead the way when he wakes up!"

 **0000**

 **Sylveon looked happy. "I helped a lot today! You know...I think I'm finally beginning to pull my own weight. I hardly feel nervous at all!"**

 **0000**

 **Ivysaur winked. "Aha! See, the rich boy can do some stuff on his own after all! I even got Braixen's number. Now I'll beat everybody...and...get even more money." He went quiet. "...Oh."**

 **0000**

Sableye was hyperventilating as the others gathered up the mega stones from where he had been forced to show. Carbink kept up a watch over him, making sure he didn't spill. The faster the imp was off the island, the better.

Sableye's cogs were turning, desperately trying to think of a solution. He ran over to Scrafty, grabbing him by his shoulders.

"You have to help me dude, make sure I don't get voted off!" Sableye practically squealed.

Scrafty snorted, pushing him away. "For the right price, maybe."

"B-but I don't have anything!" Sableye said.

Scrafty laughed. "Then you'd better think of something, or you're off the island for good."

He left, and Sableye was left alone to nervously claw at the ground.

 **0000**

 **Grovyle snorted. "I think who's going home is completely clear."**

 **0000**

For the first time, nobody looked too nervous at the elimination ceremony, save for a terrified Sableye. The others were relaxed, each of them positive that they wouldn't be the one leaving.

Victini was the one who hosted the campfire ceremony, but the old light in his eyes was gone. He looked tired, and seemed about to break down.

"Let's...get this over with." 

"You look like shit!" Shouted Ninjask.

"I don't have time for your nonsense today, Ninjask. Just take the first Poke block. Gallade, Swampert, and Munchlax, you guys are safe as well," Victini muttered.

Gallade didn't even bother walking up, and Munchlax was happy to eat the extra Poke block.

"Tepig, Shuckle, Umbreon, and Braixen. You guys are safe as well," said Victini. Braixen accidentally lit the plate on fire, but Victini didn't even seem to notice.

"Grovyle, Bidoof and Scrafty, get up on here as well. The final two are Sableye and Minccino," Victini said without interest.

Minccino bit her lip, anxious, while Sableye was absolutely terrified, shuddering to himself.

"The final Pokeblock goes to…..Sableye."

"What!?" Tepig gasped in complete disbelief. Some of the others looked shocked as well, but Bidoof, Shuckle and Munchlax looked down awkwardly.

"This...this has to be a joke, right?" Minccino said with a weak giggle.

Victini gave her a blank look. "Do I look like I'm joking? Now get OFF my Arceus damned island!"

Minccino still looked a little shocked, but Tepig grabbed her hand.

"I'll show them bloody what for. A fair dinkum victory, understand?"

Minccino nodded, giving him a kiss, but she clearly hadn't gotten over the surprise and hurt. "I left the notes on your bunk, I think there might be another working with Sableye, make sure to weasel that out of him okay?"

"She'll be apples."

"I just...don't understand why…"

"Don't worry about it, I'll get to the bottom of it," said Grovyle soothingly. She had been Minccino's closest friend, besides Tepig.

"Or I'll just beat 'em up, right?" Tepig said with a wink.

Minccino managed a shaky laugh. "Right."

As She slowly swam away from the island, she cupped her hands to her mouth, magnifying her voice. "I love you!"

Tepig called back: "I know!"

"WAIT WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?" But Tepig had already turned to face the rest of his team, looking enraged.

"Alright, which of you dickheads thought it was the right idea to vote off me girfriend?"

Shuckle began whistling to himself awkwardly, but before he could finish Victini spoke.

"Oh yeah….we're having a team trade….Who wants to go on the other team?"

"I do! I'm sick of these cockblockin' wankers!" Tepig growled, stomping off to the other team.

"Any volunteers for the Sevipers?" Asked Victini in a monotone voice. Nobody seemed as eager as Tepig, however.

"Fine...we're picking randomly. Let's spin the wheel. Whoo!" Victini floated to a wheel with the entire cast displayed. The spinner was on Scrafty. Victini barely tapped it, and therefore it did not move.

"Oh….he's not on the other team. So I guess Scrafty gets to decide who from the Sevipers should join the Zany Zangoose. I'm going to bed." Victini slowly floated away, as Scrafty thought to himself, making sure to choose carefully.

"I pick Audino. She's on our team now."

Audino looked surprised, but made her way over to Scrafty. Sylveon sighed and flopped down.

"Well….it's an honor but...why me?" Asked Audino.

"Oh, we need a healer," Scrafty said simply. "And….you're a good friend."

"Oh that means so much to me!" Audino said happily.

 **0000**

" **I don't know about the other voters, but Gallade and I didn't vote for Sableye," said Umbreon. "We had a little chat and decided to vote for Scrafty instead. Something just feels...off about him."**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty grinned and leaned back. "Child's play. Sableye has become cannon fodder, and now he's loyal to me for saving his hide. Getting the three morons on my side was easy because of their friendship with Sableye, and through some subtle convincing I was able to change Gallade and Umbreon's votes as well."**

 **He lit a cigarette. "Now a power player is gone, and I got a nice little toy from Sableye." He held up the immunity idol. "The very one I made. The very same one I gave to Carbink. He's clever, that's for sure, but he's at the end of the line. And with Tepig on the other team, he'll be gone in a challenge or too."**

" **It's so easy to play these fools. Spoiled brats who got everything given to them, that's what they are. It's time to give them a taste of the real world."**

 **0000**

That's it. Another chapter done!

So in a SHOCKING move, Minccino is actually the one to leave. Anybody predict it?

For anyone who wants to make an OC for season 2 (who HASN'T ALREADY) feel free to do so. Leave it either in the reviews here, the reviews on my offical OC post, or simply send me a pm. 

This chapter was surprisingly painless for me to do. Hope you enjoy the chapter!~

Minccino: Review! Dammit, this was so unfair!


	16. Chapter 16: Row, Row, Row your-oh

Firstly the guest reviews!

Rainbow- This is freaking fanfiction, you can ship whoever you want! Now whether it ends up happening is the question. Only I know…..

And stay strong my good sir! School is almost finished!

DT: Hey guys, Diamond toxic here. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Shuckle Master: That's right, DT is FINALLY helping out with a chapter (I've done the last 4 by myself since he was busy)! Say hello to Diamond Toxic, everyone!

DT: (rolls eyes) hi everyone…

So hey guys! How you all been? Excited for Sun and Moon? Apparently so, because I already got TWO starter OCs. It's been a week guys, chill. Post a review stating which team you are, and I might sneak in all three season 2. I'm on team Popplio personally. Poor guy needs more love.

What else….oh right!

So, I'm sure you can obviously see, I have no profile picture. If there's any of you artists out there who wants to draw some TPI fanart (or any of my stories) send it my way, and I can finally join the glory of beautiful profile pictures.

Well with that trash out of the way, let's begin!

0000

Swampert was breathing heavily as he dropped the fifty-pound dumbbell he was holding. He had just finished working out in the island's gym. He had just completed three hours of training and was exhausted. He threw an interested glance to Charizard, who looked equally exhausted from his training.

"I haven't seen you training often," Swampert said conversationally. "Though I always assumed you did. You have that look about you."

Charizard shrugged, before hesitating slightly. Could he trust a member of the other team? As a cop, he knew how to sniff out sneaks and crooks, and Swampert definitely never gave him the impression, unlike many of the Zany Zangoose.

"I've been more concerned with….something else," Charizard said simply. He thought for a moment. "Can I….request something of you?"

Swampert nodded. "We hardly know each other, but sure. I assume as an officer you would not have me undertake anything suspicious."

"No….well not entirely," Said Charizard. "I'd like you to watch someone on your team, someone I won't be able to get close to. There's something about him…."

"Is this about life? Or simply the game?" Swampert asked sharply.

Charizard spat. "Both. Just….keep an eye on Gallade, and if he does anything suspicious tell me. Is that fair?"

Swampert folded his arms. "Very well."

The two were silent for a moment, until Charizard coughed awkwardly.

"You are...a powerful warrior, I'll give you that. I could tell from our struggle in the Pokemon contest. I admire your form."

Swampert chuckled in gratitude. "Thank you for the compliment, and I must return it. You thoroughly destroyed me in that match, and you clearly are good at your job."

"I do my best," Said Charizard simply. There was an odd feeling between the two, a feeling like they both knew that there was something more then what Charizard was revealing. But neither talked about it.

0000

" **There IS definitely something about Gallade that I cannot place," said Swampert. "Something that I can see that Charizard clearly can't. I'll keep an eye on him, no mistake, but it's not likely I'll tell Charizard."**

 **0000**

"So why are we up here again?" Zorua muttered testily as Ampharos led her up one of the various cliffs located on the island. She was grumpy today, mostly because Ampharos had interrupted her early morning scheming.

"Well…" Ampharos stated as he climbed up the grassy slope. "I thought we would watch the sunrise together. It's always good to relax once and awhile."

"I don't need to relax," Zora stated. "What I need to do is focus on winning the game. Taking time to relax will only serve as a distraction to my goal."

"Oh calm down," Ampharos said airily. "If you're too focused on something, it'll wear you out. Just look at you, those bags under your eyes let me know you haven't sleeping well."

Zora attempted to come up with a comeback, but couldn't think of anything. Instead, she just grunted and followed the electric type Pokemon up the cliff. Once they arrived at their destination, Zora couldn't help but smile at the sunrise, Ampharos taking close note of this with his own satisfied smirk.

 **0000**

" **Maybe he's right and I'm working too hard," Zorua admitted. "I'll try to be a little relaxed, but this challenge it's time to take action. Everyone's distracted by Sableye's thievery, and I've been on the sidelines for a bit too long. It's sabotage time."**

 **0000**

" **You know, Zora has a pretty smile," Ampharos said with a goofy grin. "Don't tell her I said that though. I like to think I'm making headway on her, not that she'll ever admit that."**

 **0000**

Carbink was dancing in little circles as he marveled at the brilliance of his plan. Everything was going his way. The mega stones had been stolen, and the Zangeese had lost a core member of their team. Already he was planning out a vacation for when he won. Mirage island? Or that Alola Region that seemed to be the rage these days.

 **0000**

" **Thankfully, Sableye is everyone's prime suspect for the mega stones incident," Carbink stated. "As long as nothing unexpectedly happens, I'll easily be able to win. Though I have to keep an eye on Scrafty, seeing as he knows I'm not as innocent as everyone else thinks."**

 **0000**

Gallade growled as he slashed a rock in half with his scythes. Like Charizard and Swampert, he had decided to train and has been doing so for the past three hours.

However, instead of working out in the gym, he decided to train by striking big rocks, which were commonly found in clumps around the island.

He had finished destroying several clumps during his journey and was about to break another one until he heard rustling in the bushes. Gallade silently took a few steppes towards the bush, then sprinted at it with remarkable speeds, sticking his hand into the bush and snagging the thing that caused the rustling, which happened to be Sylveon.

"Ah...…please don't hurt me," Sylveon said as Gallade hoisted her up. He looked at her for a few seconds before gently placing her on the ground.

"My apologies" he said. "I get a bit…anxious when training."

"I-it's fine" Sylveon stated.

"Why were you here?"

"Um…well I was just taking pictures of some of the plants around this place when I heard the shattering of rocks. I went to check it out and…um, I saw you training. I didn't want to disturb you, so I just watched silently."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why were you watching me?"

"U-um, no reason" She said, a small blush forming on her face. "Anyways, can I ask why you are training this early?"

"Personal reasons," Gallade grunted. "Anyways, I'd appreciate it if you leave now. Nothing personal, but I hate being watched. It makes me feel very uncomfortable."

"Oh, ok. I'll see you later," Sylveon said before leaving the field of now destroyed rocks. She attempted to find a place to continue watching the bladed Pokemon, but Gallade noticed and stared at her, forcing her to leave silently.

Gallade snorted before hacking at one of the few rocks still standing.

 **0000**

" **Well…that was scary," Sylveon said nervously. "The reason why I was watching him train was to see if I could pick up some ways to grow stronger. Though, there was another reason as to why I was watching him…" with that, her cheeks began to turn a bright red.**

 **0000**

Munchlax nearly choked as he tried to force down the food he was given. The past few days Haryana's cooking had slowly worsened over the past week while Victini had been absent. He guessed it was because the fighting type had to take care of the host's normal duties while he wasn't feeling well. That was all well and good, but he couldn't starve them all to death.

 **0000**

 **Munchlax was clutching his stomach. "This is getting worse and worse. I hate Victini, but I'd rather kiss his feet than eat THIS slop again. And lick between his toenails and….ooh that thought wasn't good for the stomach….." He burped. "At this rate, the food will become inedible before the merge. I can't live like that!"He then began to throw up inside the toilet.**

 **0000**

Scrafty sighed as he began to walk towards the cafeteria. He had just ran out of cigarettes and was pretty bummed about it, but it did not really affect him. He was not a big smoker, but he relied on them for curing excessive amounts of stress. Eventually, he noticed Audino, who entered the cafeteria with Umbreon.

Audino nudged Umbreon as the two sat down. "I was wondering if you could introduce me to some of your team."

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "You're the social one. You probably know them better than I do."

Audino hesitated. "But don't you have any friends?"

"Sylveon's cool."

"Um….anyone else?" Audino asked, but Umbreon was already reading the book she brought. Audino looked lost, until Scrafty waved her over.

"Hi Scrafty, how are you doing today?" Audino asked as she caught up with the hoodlum Pokemon.

"Meh, I'm alright "he responded. "Ran out of cigs, but I'll be fine. How about you?"

"I'm doing well. You know, there are better ways to relieve stress than through smoking."

"Who said I was stressed?"

"No one. However, your posture during the last few challenges signifies that you are stressed."

"Yea, I guess I am, but can you blame me? This competition could do a number on you."

"That is true," Audino said. "But smoking should NOT be the answer to dealing with stress. Why not try a stress ball? I think I have a spare one around the cabin."

"Alright, I'll try one for now," Scrafty said as he followed Audino. "But If it doesn't work I'm going to steal some cigs from Hariyama."

"Stealing is wrong, Scrafty."

"I don't care."

Tepig on the other hand, was met with far more enthusiasm when he arrived at the cafeteria. Infernape ran up to him immediately, wrapping an arm around the pig.

"Hey dude, glad to have you on our team! Come sit with us!" Infernape exclaimed. Tepig, bemused, was lead to a table with Ampharos, Slowking, Donphan, and Zorua.

Tepig raised an eyebrow. "What's the occasion."

"We're just excited that you joined us," said Infernape, practically hopping up and down.

"Yeah, you're like...the coolest guy on the island," Ampharos agreed.

"It's a burden, but it's a sexy one," Tepig admitted. Zorua threw him a dirty look, which Tepig returned with interest. "So you lot are the welcome wagon?"

Infernape blinked, confused. "But I thought Shuckle's wagon was on the other team?"

Tepig nodded. "Right...I forgot you were the dumb one, mate. Slowking! Nice to be working with you again, you big bloody-"

"You used me as target practice for your boomerang when I was too slow to mention it to anyone," Slowking muttered.

"Did...did I do that?" Tepig asked to himself. "Wow, I'm more of a genius then I thought.

Zorua snorted. "Sure,whateve. Can I talk to you for a second?"

Tepig winked. "Sorry sheila, but I can only handle one confession at a time-OOF!" Zorua punched him in the stomach, practically dragging him off.

Donphan looked after the two. "You'd better keep an eye on her, Ampharos."

Slowking nodded. "I wouldn't trust her with an ice cream cone, much less our new team member."

Ampharos scratched his shoulder. "I mean...I think she's changing for the better. I've been with her a lot recently, and-"

"Ampharos, you sly dog you," Infernape giggled. Ampharos blushed, and Donphan coughed.

"As Shakespeare said in MacBeth, 'By the pricking of my thumbs,

Something wicked this way comes'."

"Yeah… but what does that MEAN?" Asked Infernape.

0000

Tepig followed Zorua, giving her a suspicious glance. "Okay my sweet, what do you want?"

"I know what you're doing," Zorua said simply. "You're trying to find out if someone else helped Sableye stole the mega stones."

"That's right," Tepig said bluntly. "What about that?"

"I could help you….for a price," Zorua said seductively.

Tepig snorted. "I'm not that much of a fruit loop. No chance I'd trust a mongrel like you."

Zorua grit her teeth. "You don't HAVE to trust me to benefit from this. You just help me sabotage somebody on the other team, and I help you get for revenge for your girlfriend's departure."

"Yeah, and that's the bit where you pin the blame on me? I know how your game works; I don't got kangaroos loose in the top paddock."

"Kangaroos loose in the-what?" Zorua shook off her confusion. "Look. I won't pin the blame on you, alright? I swear on my heritage as a Zorua."

Tepig chuckled. "I've known too many Zorua's to believe that."

Zorua's eye was twitching. "FINE! What do you want!?"

"Eh?"

"What do I need to give you to shut up and take the deal?"

Tepig thought for a moment. "Er….got the-"

"No, I don't have the immunity idol."

Tepig thought for a moment, before lighting up. "What about-"

"No, I'm not sending you nudes either," Zorua growled.

"Damn…" Muttered Tepig.

 **0000**

 **Infernape was folding his arms. "Aww man Tepig is so cool. We can't lose a challenge with him on our side."**

 **0000**

 **Donphan narrowed his eyes. "Whatever the two of them are planning, it can't be good. I on the other hand, will keep watching Carbink…..it's odd, like this is a confusing puzzle that seems complete, but is missing a piece."**

 **0000**

 **Munchlax coughs out a puzzle piece and looks at it in his hand. "Was this in my food? Weird."**

 **0000**

As Shuckle and Munchlax were eating, Bidoof walked a weary Sableye over to the table.

"He's been purty restless since the ol' challenge yesterday," Bidoof said quietly. "Why don' you go and take a seat, pal."

Sableye slammed his head into the table. "Why me?"

Munchlax rubbed his arm awkwardly. "Well dude you kind of brought this onto yourself. Why did you cause all that trouble anyway?" 

"Thought I could get away with it."

The other three nodded. That was pretty fair.

"It's going to be really hard to keep you in the game now," Shuckle admitted. "Everybody….kinda hates you now." 

"I don't need them!" Sableye suddenly leapt to his feet. "I'll show them by kicking ass this challenge! Everyone will forgive me, and Zorua and I will get married and-"

"Wait, I reckon you mean Misdreavus, right?" Bidoof asked in confusion.

"Yeah, Misdreavus, that's what I said!" Shouted Sableye, already looking like his old self. "I need a plan-"

"The only plan you'll need is a health plan for when you get off the island," said Ninjak, sitting down. "Because you're dead meat. Not just because we're eliminating you the first chance we get, but also because Minccino won't be too happy you stayed instead of her."

"Sorry bro, he has a point," Said Braixen, sitting down next to Grovyle. "You screwed up."

"So good luck," Said Grovyle. "And Ninjask, why do you keep glaring at Slowking?"

Ninjask tore his gaze away. "I want revenge, he got me good last time, and I don't even know how."

"It was probably his evolution," Said Munchlax.

"Maybe….but I want him gone," Ninjask growled. "I just have to find a way to convince his team to vote him off."

"And how do you plan to do that?" Braixen asked. Ninjask started to reply, but was interrupted by Haryiama's voice on the loudspeaker.

"Young campers will return to beach immediately for next of challenges. No late."

"So Victini's still under the weather, eh?" Grovyle asked.

"I guess so…" Lucario responded. "Legendaries can get sick?"

"Sure they can!" Said Infernape. "They're just like us, except with magical powers."

"I'm pretty sure you meant mystical," Scrafty said. "We ALL have magical powers.."

"Either way, I don't give a shit," Ninjask drawled. "If he's sick, great. If he's dead, send condolences to my lack of remorse."

"Ninjask…."Audino said warningly.

"What? I'm just being me. Being nice is your job."

"Well look at the bright side," Said Ampharos, trying to preserve the mood. "Victini being out of commision means less painful challenges for us, right?"

Lucario folded her arms. "Why do I doubt that so very much…"

0000

When the campers arrived at the beach, they were not met with Hariyama, but a new Pokemon. They looked similar to Phione, but with a far more feminine complexion.

"Hi. I'm Manaphy. I assume you guys are the competitors?" The blue Pokemon asked, in what was clearly a girl's voice.

"Whoa...are you THE Manaphy?" Asked Ivysaur, astounded.

"The one and only. Since Victini is...indisposed…I decided to step in and help with the...what's it called? A trial? Test? Quest?"

"YES! A QUEST THAT ONLY THE NOBLEST OF KNIGHTS CAN-"

"Put a SOCK in it, Donphan!" Scrafty snapped.

"Its called a challenge," Charizard said impatiently. "And if you don't mind I'd like to get on with it."

Manaphy rose an eyebrow. "Oh so you're going to be like that, eh? Sorry bub, but we're going MY pace, not yours? Who's the host, you or me?"

"Neither of you," said Ninjask.

"Victini's the host, not you," Tepig said with a grin.

The two high fived, as Manaphy's eye twitched.

0000

"Just warn me when you need air!" Manaphy called in a singsong voice while floating above the water. Below her, Tepig and Ninjask were fighting for breath under the water as she held them down with telekinesis.

"Manaphy….Victini needs campers alive for show, yes?" Hariyama asked hesitantly.

"Ugh, fine. But I hope you learned your lesson!" Manaphy said, tossing the two waterlogged Pokemon out of the ocean, coughing and sputtering out water.

"Now the uh….challenge isn't too hard. You guys are gonna take canoes to one of the islands neighbor to this dump. It's a straightforward shoot from this beach, so it'll be easy to find. You'll meet my son there, and he'll give you guys information on what to do next."

"Canoes? Cool!" Said Infernape, rubbing his hands together happily. The others nodded appreciatively. This wouldn't be so bad.

"Split up into pairs and grab a boat between the two of you. I'd hurry, or you'll be left with the shitty ones."

Immediately, the Pokemon began pairing up, hurrying over to the canoes as quickly as they could.

Shuckle sighed. "My wagon won't be able to fit on the canoe."

Munchlax patted him on the shell. "Don't worry dude, you'll last. Who are you going with, Bidoof?"

The normal type wrapped an arm around Sableye. "I'm takin' 'im. Anybody else would probably beat the stuffin' outta him."

Audino anxiously tried to look for a partner, but Scrafty patted her on the shoulder. "Still single?"

Audino gave him a grateful smile. "Not for long it seems. Is the stress ball working?"

Scrafty squeezed it. "It's okay. I'm gonna have to get used to this at the very least."

The two passed Ninjask and Umbreon, who reluctantly decided to be each other's partner. Swampert and Gallade agreed as well with a firm nod.

Grovyle swore under her breath. "What, is there nobody left?"

Braixen grinned. "I'm still here, lizard lips."

Grovyle sighed. "Arceus, I swear this is fate." She grabbed Braixen by the shoulders and pinned her to a nearby tree.

"Look, if I team up with you, do you PROMISE that you won't burn down the canoe?"

Braixen hissed. "Let go of me."

"Braixen I swear…"

Braixen mumbled. "I won't burn it THAT much…."

"BRAIXEN!"

"Fine, I won't burn down the goddamn canoe! Happy?" Braixen snarled.

Grovyle released her, stalking off. "Very."

For the Seviper's picking pairs was far less painless. Ampharos tapped Zorua on the back.

"Hey, do you want to go together? I'll do most of the work!" Zorua shook her head.

"Sorry sparky, but I've got a partner in mind." She walked over, dragging Tepig away from his conversation with Slowking.

"Oh thank goodness he's gone…" mumbled the monarch, as Ampharos sighed sadly.

"Ampharos, my old friend! Is it true that you have forgotten about the modest Donphan?" Asked the Pachyderm, rolling over to the pair of them.

"I wish we could forget you," Slowking muttered, but Ampharos high fived Donphan's trunk. As the two walked off, Sylveon timidly walked up to Slowking.

"Um...I was wonderingifitwasokayifwecouldbepartners?" Sylveon asked nervously.

Slowking blinked, before speaking much slower. "Sure…? But forgive me, you spoke so fast that I'm not sure what you s-"

"Thanks Slowking!" Said Sylveon happily, skipping off ahead of the bemused water type.

Charizard pointed to Ivysaur. "Are you free?"

Ivysaur nodded. "Yeah, sure...but why would you want to team up with me? I'm not exactly the toughest guy on the team.

"You're improving," said Charizard. "But I also wanted to ask you a few questions concerning your family."

Ivysaur blanched. "I-f you insist, sir."

"Don't call me that."

"Sure thing, si-...sure."

Lucario stretched her back. "Wait, who do I get for my partner?"

Carbink floated next to her. "I guess..me?"

Lucario jumped. "Yeesh, sorry Carbink. I didn't notice you. You know you've been so quiet recently-"

"I know," Carbink interrupted. "I guess it's because I'm intimidated by you all. You guys are all so big and strong…. And I'm just a floating rock."

Lucario shrugged. "Whatever floats your canoe I guess. Ugh, I'm going to have to do all the work, won't I?"

"Sorry…."

Lucario seemed to straighten up in realization. Something about Carbink's aura…

 **0000**

 **Lucario folded her arms. "I'm not doing too great, I won't lie. My closest friend on the island is gone, and I'm not the most popular girl here. I have my mega evolution, but that makes me come off as a threat. I might be able to make it to the merge, but I'll need a plan when I get there."**

 **0000**

The campers each went into their respective canoes and pushed off, paddling the water and making surprising progress. It was clear that that everyone was going around the same pace, so they took their time, and everyone found the trip actually pretty relaxing.

Well...almost everyone.

Braixen was shivering, her pupils dilated as she gripped her paddle tightly. Occasionally, little sparks of fire shot out of her fur. Grovyle just grit her teeth and tried to be patient.

"Oh man this was a bad idea, I should never have agreed to this. I'd rather be sent home at this point, ugh! The water just touched me!"

Grovyle finally lost patience. "Will you shut up for one second and help me paddle? I get your afraid of water but this is ridiculous!"

"I am NOT afraid of water!" Braixen protested, before they hit a wave and she was splashed. "EEK!"

Meanwhile, Ivysaur was awkwardly answering personal questions from Charizard, though he wasn't sure why.

Finally, he had enough and asked Charizard a question of his own. "I'm sorry, but why are you asking questions about my family again?"

Charizard seemed ready for the question, and answered readily. "Just...I heard that your family was well off and was curious if you were somehow connected to criminal activity.

Ivysaur's demeanor instantly changed. "Well I assure you my family never condoned anything illegal."

Charizard shook his head. "No, that's not what I-"

"CHARIZARD!" Ivysaur cried frantically. "Your tail is setting the canoe on fire!"

Charizard's eye widened at the boat that was now aflame. "Uh-oh."

Tepig sniffed the air. "Something's burning."

"It's probably Braixen again, but that's not important," Said Zorua impatiently. "We need to strategize." 

"Right then, my love," Said Tepig sarcastically. "Whose dream do you want to crush tonight?"

Zorua gave him a wink. "Oh don't worry your pretty little head about it, _darling,_ you'll know soon enough."

Tepig snorted. "I really think think I should know more about what the hell we're even doing."

"And I think that you need to quit yapping your mouth and just follow orders!" Zorua fired back.

"Well I think-"

"No. Zip it!" Zorua snarled.

"Were you outshadowed by a sibling or something? Or just have some weird unjustified inferiority complex that makes you such a foul person?"

Zorua narrowed her eyes. "No…"

"Oh," said Tepig, sitting up with his signature cocky grin. "Well I thought you would feel like you….came up short."

Zorua's eyes flashed. "You did not just-!

Tepig shrugged. "Oh, so my little joke didn't go over your head?" 

Zorua screamed tackling Tepig and repeatedly whacking him with the paddle. "LEAVE MY SIZE OUT OF THIS!"

"Ow! What's the matter-(ow!) sheila? Short on patience?"

"NOBODY WILL FIND YOUR BODY!"

Ninjask flinched as he saw the fight. "You know….if he hadn't said that….I totally would have said the same thing."

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you would have. Now can we focus so I can finish this damn challenge!?"

Ninjask shrugged. "Nah, it doesn't matter as long as Slowking is behind us. I hate that guy."

Umbreon sighed. "And why on earth would that be?"

Ninjask rubbed his claws together furiously. "Ugh...he beat me in that rap battle. I should have that in the back, but that lazy asshole had to….URGH!"

"You know for someone who's loves sarcasm, you're pretty bad at detecting it," Umbreon muttered.

"And you know for someone who's an edgy goth stereotype, you're a real loudmouth."

Umbreon's expression didn't change. "Excuse my change of topic, but can bugs swim?"

Ninjask looked down into the water apprehensively. "To be honest I don't know….I've never gone swimming in my life."

In one fluid motion, Umbreon spun her paddle, knocking Ninjask into the water with a loud splash.

"First time for everything," she said with a wry smile.

0000

Meanwhile, Slowking and Sylveon were rowing much slower than most of the other team, and found themselves near the back with Shuckle and Munchlax. As they were paddling, Sylveon began to think of a way to speed themselves up, not exactly wanting to end up last place. Eventually, an idea struck her.

"Hey… Slowking?" Sylveon began to ask. "Is it possible for you to carry this boat with your psychic powers and fly us to the island?"

"I could, but I do not think that would be allowed,." Slowking responded.

Sylveon thought for a moment. "Well….technically Shelder isn't a competitor right?"

Slowking's eyes lit up in realization. "Good point. You think that will be allowed?" 

"Loopholes for the win…."Sylveon said weakly.

.

Slowking chuckled. "Shelder?"

Shelder's voice called down to the two. "Yeah?"

"Could you use your psychic powers to give the canoe a boost?" Slowking asked.

"Sure I guess….here goes!" Shelder's eyes glowed with power, and the canoe became outlined in pink….

And then it shot forward, passing the other canoes in seconds. It wasn't long before they reached the island, Slowking's telekinetic powers smoothly setting at the beach's shore.

Phione happily went out to meet them, waving. "Hey, my dudes! Nice to see you again!"

"It is good to see you as well Phione," said Slowking, as Sylveon waved shyly.

"I AM THE FIRST TO DISCOVER THIS ISLAND, AND I WILL NAME IT THE ISLAND OF PACHYDERMS," Donphan chanted as he and Ampharos arrived. But then he noticed the other two that arrived, and he let out a trumpet of indignation.

"Preposterous! How could we not have gotten there first? Ampharos, you must have been slacking off!"

"I'm sorry man, I'll put more effort into it next time," said Ampharos, ashamed. "Hey, is that Phione?"

Phione outstretched his arms. "Ampharos!"

The two met in a very warm hug, before Phione was zapped. Slowly the rest of the campers trickled in, beaching their canoes.

When Zorua stomped out, she was twitching in rage. "I am NOT HAPPY!"

Tepig fell in next to her. "Oh? Then which dwarf are you?"

"Stop it with the short jokes, asshole!" 

Grovyle stepped out of her canoe, with Braixen wrapping around her and sniffling into her chest, forcing the gecko to hold her bridal style.

"What I would give to be Grovyle right now," said Ivysaur sadly. Charizard nodded in understanding.

"Wait, how did you get over here, didn't your canoe like….burn down?" Asked a tired Lucario.

"We flew," said Charizard grumpily.

"Wait that's allowed?" Asked Grovyle.

"Nope!" Said Phione cheerfully. "It's about time for the next part of the challenge! Before we start, let's learn a little history about our location!~"

"Let's not," Ninjask drawled.

"Wow, you guys are just constant downers, huh?" said Phione, his cheerful grin not fading. "Well….this place is called Cofagrigus' Cove, even though it's not really even a cove at all. But whatever! As you can see, this island is really creepy! Fun right?"

For the first time since arriving, most of the campers really noticed the island's features. While the beach looked beautiful and welcoming, it was apparently there simply to lure one in. The island itself seemed to have dense, gloomy forest, complete with a creepy fog.

"Dammit, those look like evil Disney woods," said Shuckle nervously. "I don't trust this place one bit."

Phione grinned. "Ominous! So the second part of the challenge is a split between the two teams. Zangeese, you guys will be chilling here on the beach, while the Sevipers will be trekking into the forest!"

The Zany Zangoose all cheered, while the Striking Sevipers swore under their breaths. Phione giggled at their reaction.

"You guys will be searching for the special Celebi's lotus flower, which only grows on this island. Its rare too, so it won't be easy to find! Zangoose, you guys will be making a bonfire. The biggest bonfire ever! Once you finish, race over to the other island. The team that completes their challenge and returns to camp to tag my mother wins!"

The two teams immediately went to work, the Sevipers making their way to the forest and the Zangeese remaining where they were.

 **0000**

" **Why do THEY get to go to the beach!?" asked Carbink indignantly. "Who knows what WE'LL run into!"**

 **0000**

 **Zorua stroked her chin thoughtfully. "I suppose sabotaging their fire would work out well. But who to blame?"**

 **0000**

"Slowking, can you see anything with your psychic powers?" Asked Carbink, trying to see through the fog.

Slowking shook his head. "This fog...it's not natural….it almost feels ghostly."

"Should we split up?" Asked Ampharos nervously.

"That sounds best," Said Charizard. "But no going off to far. This isn't exactly a fun place to get lost in."

Muttering that they should have seen this coming, the campers began to split up into smaller groups. Tepig tried to follow Infernape and Ampharos, but Zorua grabbed his shoulder.

"C'mon _honey,_ it's time for some sabotage."

0000

The Zany Zangoose, however, had started without much of a plan, grabbing as much firewood as possible. Ninjask had quickly filled Minccino's shoes as the team leader, barking orders.

"Oohooohoo yes," Sableye chattered. "I have the perfect invention for the bonfire…"

"Uh...no way!" Ninjask snapped. "We are NOT letting you use those anymore!"

"What?" Sableye gasped, completely stunned.

"You heard me! After what you did, there's no way we're trusting you!" Ninjask drawled.

"But...that's ridiculous!" Sableye snarled. "You can't stop me!"

0000

"You will pay for this you insufferable bug!" Sableye hissed, trying to reach Ninjask with his claws. The imp had a leash tied around his chest, the other end wrapped around the tree.

"There, now be a good little gem eater and just stand still," Said Ninjask smugly. "Be patient, you'll be eliminated soon enough."

Shuckle groaned. "This SUCKS! I wish I had my wagon right now!"

Bidoof stumbled over, holding a bunch of firewood in his mouth. "Can….er I think I got some stuck in m' teeth."

Gallade was about to slash through a tree, but Grovyle suddenly blocked his path. "No. Pick up dead branches. We're not killing anything we don't have to."

"That being said, how the hell are supposed to do this?" Asked Scrafty as he and Audino, working on the fire pit. "We're practically working from scratch here."

Braixen hopped up and down. "Oooh! I can totally-"

"No," Grovyle and Ninjask said at the same time.

As Braixen pouted, Scrafty sighed, flicking on his lighter. "I guess we should just make do then…"

 **0000**

 **Ninjask fluttered in the air. "I won't lie. Becoming the new team leader may not have been the safest choice, but I'm used to shouting orders. Slowking may think he's a hotshot, but he's no leader, and it feels good to beat him at something."**

 **0000**

" **My guess is Ninjask is out of his league." Grovyle shook her head sympathetically. "We haven't been too kind to our leaders, and he doesn't seem as practical as Minccino or as structured as Parasect.** "

 **0000**

Infernape blinked as he looked through the fog, faintly making out the outline of a small blue flower.

"Yo, my dudes! This has to be it!" Infernape said excitedly.

"Are you sure, man?" Carbink asked. "Something feels weird."

"Yeah, there's no way I'm getting that," said Ampharos.

Donphan cocked his head. "a delicate flower could just as easily be a weed. We must be careful."

"Aw...come on guys don't be such spoilsports! I'll go get it!" Said Infernape. Running forward, he picked up the flower in his hand.

"See? Everything is completely-"

With a roar, a man eating plant Infernape had stepped on snapped up the monkey in one gulp.

Ampharos, Carbink and Donphan stared in horror as the man eating plant rose higher and higher, letting out a bloodcurdling scream.

0000

Munchlax's head shot up. "What was that!? Who just made that horrible noise?"

"Well...either it was was a horrible monster that emerged from the depths of this creepy ass forest," said Shuckle. "Or it was Zorua."

"Oh golly….I sure hope it's not a monster," said Bidoof with a gulp.

"Hey you three!" Cried Grovyle. "You better be working over there!"

"We're coming!" Munchlax called back. The three started back, but it wasn't long before Bidoof and Munchlax turned around.

"Uh Shuckle...You uh...comin'?" Asked Bidoof.

Shuckle was slowly crawling over. "I'm trying!"

Zorua watched them, seething from the bushes. Tepig elbowed her.

"So, my guess is you want them out?"

Zorua bit back her agreement. "...No. As obnoxious as they are, they're not a threat. At this point anyway. I don't know, who seems like a good choice to you? You were on THEIR team until recently." 

Tepig shrugged. "Er...well Ninjask and I got along, and of course there was Minccino, but I didn't get that close to them. But you want my advice? Go for a Pokemon that's easy to mess up, but still strong enough to act as a threat."

Zorua snorted. "I could get better advice from a totem pole. But I'll humor you. So who's like that on the other team?"

Tepig shrugged. "Sorry sheila, I'm trying to be the totem pole you wanted."

"Ugh fine! I'll figure it it out myself!" Zorua snarled.

"Bloody dark types, always trying to be as edgy as possible," said Tepig.

"Wow, way to be a racist asshole," said a disgusted Zorua.

"Yes, because you are the perfect model of moral decency."

"Shut up."

0000

"AHHH!" Screamed Ampharos, sprinting as fast as he could away from the man eating plant, who had conveniently sprouted legs to chase the Sevipers. Carbink was flying as fast as he could, and Donphan had rolled out of view.

"Wait, so is Infernape dead?" Gasped out Carbink. Ampharos didn't answer, instead tripping on his face. The man eating plant lunged towards him, but was suddenly struck in the stomach by Donphan's rollout, causing it to fall back.

"Ampharos!? Are you alright?"

Ampharos rose to his feet. "Yeah man, I'm fine. But what the hell are we supposed to do?"

Donphan snorted. "No not worry, my compatriots! This overgrown carnivine cannot-"

A vine shot out, tying itself around Donphan's stomach and throwing him around. Donphan yelled out in surprise. Ampharos shot out a thunderbolt frantically, but it seemed to have no effect.

"Carbink!" Ampharos cried. "Do something!"

"Do what? I am a tiny pebble!" Carbink shrieked back.

"Use explosion or something!"

"So it can eat me right after!? No way!"

"Hey guys!" Said Lucario, walking over. "Did you find anything?" Her eyes widened and she ducked to dodge a spit of goop that soared over her head and hit Ivysaur, who had just arrived as well.

"Ow….what's going on this time?" He moaned as he wiped off the poisonous blob.

"A giant plant is killing us!" said Ampharos.

"Why?" Asked Lucario, charging up an aura sphere.

"Because Infernape is a complete moron!" Donphan called from where he was being swung around.

"That make sense," Lucario muttered, throwing the aura sphere with all of her power. The blast collided with what resembled the plant's stomach, causing it double over and spit out Infernape. Infernape was curled into fetal position, shivering. Donphan was released as well, falling hard to the ground.

Lucario winced. "Are you two okay?"

"Yes!" Said Donphan.

"No!" Infernape whimpered.

"Did you at least get the flower?" Carbink asked desperately.

Infernape immediately forgot all about his traumatic experience and leapt up. "Yep! Check this baby out!"

He showed them the blue flower. Lucario's eye twitched.

"Listen….Infernape….buddy….you know that the flower is relating to _Celebi,_ right?"

"Yeah!" Said Infernape, nodding his head rapidly.

"Do you know what color a Celebi is?" Asked Lucario.

"Uh...green?" Infernape said, now slightly apprehensive at the tone of Lucario's voice.

"Very good! Now…if there were a flower that related to Celebi, what color would it most likely be?"

Infernape, clearly realizing what she was getting at, gulped. "G-green?"

"Excellent!" Said Lucario.

"So….would you mind taking a look at that flower again and telling me what _might be the problem?_

"Th-this flower is blue-"

"THE FLOWER IS FREAKING BLUE, WHICH MEANS THIS WAS COMPLETELY POINTLESS!" Ampharos shrieked.

"S-so we keep searching?" Infernape asked timidly.

"Ugh yes," Lucario groaned.

 **0000**

" **His brain is about as big as that flower," Lucario said with a groan.**

 **000**

Meanwhile, the Zangoose were about halfway done with their bonfire. They had gathered a ton of wood, but under Ninjask's command, were still collecting more wood.

"Hey! I got more wood!" Braixen shouted as she and Swampert ran towards Ninjask, multiple sticks in hand.

"Good. Just put it with the others and search for more shit. I think we're almost ready to light this thing up."

"I don't see why we can't make the fire already" Braixen said. "With the amount of wood we have, we should be fine."

"The point of the challenge is to create the biggest fire possible. I ain't taking any risks. Now chop-chop!" Ninjask stated as he clapped his hands. Braixen grumbled under her breath as she dumped the collected wood into the pile and walked back into the forest, attempting to get more wood.

 **0000**

" **Sometimes Ninjask gets on my nerves" Braixen said, growling a bit. "If we would of done this MY way, we wouldn't have to do unnecessary work."**

 **0000**

Braixen was humming a quiet tune to herself as she used her psychic powers to lift up some branches to use as firewood.

Before she could walk back however, a rock fell from the sky, striking her head hard. Braixen fell over, unconscious.

Zorua slid down the tree, dragging the body away. "Phase two begin," she said with a snicker.

0000

"Whoa! Gallade what the hell!?" said Munchlax, amazed. Gallade was hoisting what appeared to be an entire tree over his shoulder with relative ease.

Gallade studied Munchlax curiously. "I found a tree and cut it down. Now stand aside."

Grovyle went pale. "But why would you do that?"

Gallade's eye narrowed. "It looked at me funny."

Scrafty rolled his eyes, but then gaped. "What the-"

Over to the side, the canoes were on fire. Behind them, Braixen was laughing to herself.

"BRAIXEN!" Ninjask snarled. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"

Braixen laughed. "Burn baby burn!"

"She went too far this time!" Grovyle snarled. "Get her!"

Braixen gasped, darting into the trees to escape the irate Zangeese. Swampert ran over to the canoes, doing his best to put out the intense flames.

Soon Sableye was left alone. He tried to run after them, but his leash yanked him back.

"Get back here!" Sableye hissed. "When I get out of here you guys are so dead!"

 **0000**

 **Zorua giggled. "Morons. It was easy for me to pretend to be Braixen, and Tepig provided the flames. So it's goodbye to fox bitch!"**

 **0000**

 **Tepig leaned back. "Am I guilty? Hell no. This is vengeance for kickin' out my bloody girlfriend. And now I have Zorua's help in finding out whoever helped that little ankle biter steal those bloody stones."**

 **0000**

"Charizard, any luck?" Asked Slowking, using his psychic power to part the wave of daisies. Off to the side, Sylveon had grown tired of searching and instead was looking over her pictures

Charizard shook his head. "No, but I've been more focused on not setting the forest on fire. What about you?"

"I'm fairly certain that if I had found said flower I would have openly stated it, making your question somewhat pointless and rhetorical."

"Stop being a wiseass," Charizard grumbled. "I'd better fly around and get a bird's eye view."

"If you say so," Said Slowking. "I wonder where the others are?"

"GUYS! I-I think I found it!" Sylveon squealed.

Slowking raised an eyebrow. "Show us!"

Sylveon twitched. "Well...I mean...I don't have it with me but….I found it in a picture that I took earlier."

Charizard took the camera out of her hand, gazing at the image. "Well….it certainly looks special."

Slowking leaned in and uttered a cry of shock. "I remember where that place was!"

Charizard spread his wings. "Then hop on, you two. It's time for us to win."

 **0000**

" **Am I going to be responsible for winning a challenge?" Asked Sylveon to herself, her eyes shining. "Please let it be so!"**

 **0000**

Braixen rubbed her aching head as she stumbled over to where the rest of her team was searching for her.

"Sorry guys, I just fell asleep for a second there. Here, I got a bunch of-"

"Oh no! You are NOT using that possession bullshit on us," Ninjask snarled. "You are dead!"

Braixen gave him a mystified look. "What are you going on about?"

"You know what we're talking about," Said Grovyle coldly. "I thought you may have changed a little, but apparently I was wrong."

Braixen shook her head in disbelief. "What? I don't understand!"

"Don't play dumb, we know you were the one who lit up our canoes!" Said Scrafty, folding his arms. "And you didn't TOUCH the Sevipers! You're a traitor!"

"What!? I did not, where's your proof"!" Braixen growled, though she was stunned about what she heard.

"We SAW you Braixen!" Grovyle said pointedly. "Just fess up! Resisting will only make this worse for you!"

"I'm NOT apologizing for something I didn't do!" Braixen protested. "Maybe it was a trick by Zorua or something?"

This fact hit the Zangeese hard, and they muttered to each other. But Grovyle shook her head.

"No. Who would have lit the canoes on fire? Zorua doesn't have those types of moves!"

"Why can't you trust a single thing that I say!?" Braixen asked. "We've been teammates since the beginning, and you should KNOW I'm not a traitor! Or is this just because you don't like me!?"

Grovyle grit her teeth. "This has nothing to do about my opinion of you, I'm judging you based off facts."

"It's not a fact if you can argue against it, gecko!" Braixen shot back.

"Which you're not!" said Grovyle. "You are a danger to this island, and not fit to continue competing!"

Braixen roared in frustration, unleashing a jet of fire from her wand. Grovyle rolled to the side to dodge it. "What the hell?"

"I'm not going to sit here and let you accuse me of something I didn't do!" said Braixen, shooting another wave of fire. Grovyle dodged, and the leaves on her arms elongated into blades.

"Bring it on!" She yelled, sprinting forward and meeting Braixen with fury. She slashed with her leave blade, but Braixen twirled around her wand, making mini barriers to block the grass type's shots. Still, the ferocity of the blows forced Braixen backwards. Backing a bit away from the grass type Pokemon, she first used psychic on a nearby rock, tossing it at Grovyle, who managed to avoid the projectile. Braixen then attempted to shoot a super effective fire blast at her, but Grovyle managed to avoid it again, retaliating with a vicious leaf storm, scoring a critical hit and knocking Braixen's wand out of her hands.

Grovyle smirked. "Ha. You're disarmed. Give up."

Braixen looked at her, before punching her hard in the face. As Grovyle stumbled back, Braixen opened her mouth and let loose a fiery blast that threw Grovyle backwards. With a flick of her wrist her wand flew into her hand.

Her smirk was replaced by a look of horror as Gallade sprinted forward, an angry glint in his eye.

Quickly, Braixen tried to shoot out more fire, but Gallade slid under it, kicking her hard in the face and sending her reeling. Braixen growled at him, aiming her wand, but Gallade pressed her hard, aiming several vicious slashes. Braixen dodged the first, but was hit hard by the second and was met with a kick that knocked her stick out of her hands once more. Braixen brought up her fists, but Gallade knocked her legs out from under her and she toppled to the ground. She tried to rise, but was met with Gallade's tonfas crossing in front of her neck.

"That is enough!" Gallade spat. "The two of you are behaving pathetically. We are a team, which means there is no infighting! The very fact that I, the one who hates company the most, has to be the one to tell you two this is disgusting! Braixen, if I hadn't stopped you, you would have burned down the whole forest! Grovyle, you went too far! It is not your place to judge."

Grovyle was supported by Audino, who gave Gallade a desperate look. "But-"

"No!" Gallade roared. "The only judging will take place during the elimination ceremony! The votes will decide her fate."

With that he walked off, leaving the other Pokemon completely stunned, though Swampert was watching him intently.

 **0000**

" **Whew…hopefully they'll send Braixen instead of me home due to her stunt," Sableye stated as he released a loud sigh of relief. "That is, if we lose of course."**

 **0000**

" **Something was definitely strange about the way Gallade charged towards Braixen," Swampert stated. "The anger in his eye was immense, as if he was fighting a sworn enemy. Did the fire somehow trigger hidden emotions? I wonder…"**

 **0000**

"Well, at this rate it seems as if we have very little hope of winning" Ninjask deadpanned. "The rock Braixen attempted to kill Grovyle with crushed most of our wood supply, meaning we have to restart from scratch. And I doubt the tree Scythes brought us is enough for us to win the challenge."

The Zangoose groaned as they glared at Braixen. Braixen rolled her eyes.

"Bite me."

As they tried to board the log, (Swampert holding a grumpy Sableye's leash) the Sevipers emerged from the island and arrived at the beach, where Phione was floating.

"We have the flower," Said Charizard, thrusting it into Phione's face. It seemed to glow with a luster, almost as if Celebi's power was radiating through it.

"That's not it, sorry guys!" Said Phione cheerfully. "The flower is blue."

 **0000**

" **WHY!?" Sylveon shrieked. "I WAS SO CLOSE!"**

 **0000**

"Wait...dudes, I totally have the right flower!" Infernape exclaimed. Phione looked it over and nodded. "That's legit!"

"You have GOT to be kidding me," Lucario said with a moan.

"Who cares, just get to the canoes!" Ivysaur shouted. The Sevipers quickly boarded them, passing the Zangeese before they could even make it to the water.

"We're….not going to win, are we?" Asked Munchlax.

Ninjask sighed. "...Nope."

0000

"And the clear winners are the Striking Sevipers!" Said Manaphy with mock cheer, clearly anxious to go home. The Sevipers on the other hand, looked ecstatic.

"So just...you know...do that voting thing you do," said Manaphy.

Phione arrived at this time, giving Manaphy a hug. "Hi mom!"

Manaphy smiled. "Hi sweetie. Did you have fun?"

"Totally!" Phione said excitedly. "Say….can I eat at the cafeteria with these guys? Please?"

Manaphy tried to say no, but caved under Phone's hopeful look. "Oh all right. We can stay a little longer."

As everyone began to separate, Ivysaur walked to Braixen. "Why did you do that? I don't want you to leave!"

"I didn't do it!" Braixen cried desperately. "I was framed." 

Ivysaur looked a bit conflicted, but decided to believe her. "Alright, I guess. But you can't prove that to them, can you?"

Braixen sighed. "Nope."

Ivysaur looked down. "So...does that mean….?"

"I'll be eliminated? Probably," said Braixen bluntly. "I'll do my best to convince them."

Ivysaur kicked the grass bashfully. "Well in the meantime….want to get dinner together?" 

Braixen smirked. "Is that supposed to be a date?"

"Uh no…? Yes? Yes, no wait….no. Maybe? Yes?"

Braixen rolled her eyes, but grabbed one of the still babbling Ivysaur's vines. "Let's go have some fun then, if you can stop stuttering."

"Okay!"

0000

The atmosphere for dinner after a challenge was always a happy occasion for some, and a last supper for others. The Zany Zangoose looked incredibly uncomfortable, and nobody (save for Munchlax) was eating much. Finally, Audino couldn't take the tension and got up from her seat, making up her mind to meet with Manaphy, who was sitting by herself. Phione was happily laughing and joking with Infernape, Ampharos, and Tepig.

Manaphy glanced up as Audino walked up to her. "What's up?" 

Audino looked a little awkward. "I was just a little curious about what may have happened to Victini. I have medical knowledge, so maybe I could do something to help while he's sick?" 

Manaphy clearly hadn't expected her response, and suddenly looked guilty. "Oh..he's not sick, nothing physically anyway. He's just...going through a lot."

Audino nodded. "Very well then, if it's personal I have no right to-"

"Wait," said Manaphy. "You-you're a doctor right? You know a lot about how people function?"

"Well I'm a nurse, and that is a weird way to put it, but yes," said Audino. "Is there something you need?"

Manaphy shrugged. "Advice, maybe? I know it's weird for a legendary to ask a regular Pokemon for help, but I think Victini could use some help."

"I...see," Said Audino. "Could you let me know a little bit more about what's going on?"

"Of course," said Manaphy. "It's my fault really. I didn't approve of the way he was acting and I told him that. He denied it, and….I'm afraid I was a little too harsh. Okay...very harsh."

Audino nodded. "And that hit him hard?"

"Apparently so," said Manaphy sadly. "Which was my intention, but I didn't think it was this extreme."

Audino nodded again, thinking to herself. "Well...from what I hear, the only Pokemon who can boost him up again is….you."

Manaphy folded her arms. "I'm not apologizing, my points were valid."

"That isn't my point. I mean….you should rephrase. Tell him how he can improve, and tell him he CAN improve. He apparently holds you in high regard."

Manaphy looked slightly astonished, before shaking her head and giggling. "I should give you mortals some more credit; that was very wise Audino, thanks. I'll talk to him tonight. And hmm…..I suppose I can give you automatic immunity tonight as well."

Audino clapped her hands happily. "Thank you!"

 **0000**

" **Braixen!" Grovyle said, folding her arms.**

 **0000**

" **Grovyle," Braixen snapped.**

 **0000**

" **Phione!" Shouted Phione happily.**

 **0000**

Once again, the Zangeese sat at the ceremony, noticing for the first time how many empty spots there were. It wasn't a comforting thought.

This time, Victini wasn't even at the ceremony. Hariyama held out the usual plate of Pokeblocks, giving the cast a curious look.

"You're seems to like the sabotage, yes?" He said, tapping a finger to his chin. "Not very good strategy."

"Yeah no shit, tubby!" Ninjask yelled back, before Hariyama threw a pokeblock, hitting him in the head and knocking him over.

"You are safe," Said Hariyama with a light chuckle. "Scrafty, Umbreon, and Audino with automatic immunity."

Shuckle gulped as he looked between his friends. None of them were safe yet! Grovyle and Braixen were glaring daggers at each other, and Gallade simply watched the remaining Pokeblocks.

"Swampert, Gallade, and Munchlax," Said Hariyama. "Shuckle and Bidoof are also safe."

Grovyle, Braixen, and Sableye remained, all looking nervous.

"All three of you got votes, but since Grovyle has only one, she is safe as mother's pudding."

After throwing Braixen one last angry look, Grovyle went up to claim her poke block. Sableye once again looked terrified, biting his nails, and Braixen gave Hariyama a defiant glare.

"The last Pokeblock goes too…..Sableye."

Braixen deflated, but she kept her head up high as she rose to her feet and walked off without another word.

 **0000**

 **Braixen was trembling with rage. "I didn't DO ANYTHING! This isn't fair!" She looked as though she were going to the light the confessional on fire, but she managed to calm herself down. "Ivysaur, I want you to kick their butts, and I'll make a huge celebratory cake when you get home."**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty snorted as he squeezed his stress ball. "This is fantastic. As long as Munchlax and his band of misfits want to save Sableye, I have complete control over who goes home. Next target? Gallade or Umbreon. Making them suspicious of me was a double edged sword, and it's time to cut that part off."**

 **0000**

Tepig stormed up to Zorua. "There, she's off the bloody island. It's time for you to pay your part of the deal."

Zorua rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say. Got any leads?"

Tepig shrugged. "Minccino left a fair sum behind. Let's get down to it."

0000

Manaphy knocked on the door to Victini's cabin. "Hey Victini, let me in! It's Manaphy!"

"Why, so you can emotionally torment me again?"

"No, because if you don't I'm blasting my way through it!" Manaphy shouted.

With a sigh, an exhausted Vicini let her in. Immediately, Manaphy sprayed him in the face with water.

"Ahh!" Victini gasped, flailing his hands. "What was that for?"

"Listen!" Manahy said. "This isn't what I meant when I said I didn't like what you were doing! The point was so you could change, not become a complete mess! Or….even more of a complete mess."

Victini raised his hands. "What do you want me to do? I get your point, I'm trying to be something I'm not and you want me to cancel the show-"

"I do NOT want you to cancel the show!" Manaphy protested. "I want you to stop pretending you're Mew and continue to torment these people! And to focus more on your duties as a legendary!"

Victini shook his head. "Hey I still totally do my duties! I helped that Red kid win the Pokemon league! He was a mute for Arceus sake!"

"That was over a thousand years ago, Victini!" Manaphy shot back. "And that 'mute' murdered his rival's Raticate!"

"Whatever!" Victini said. "What do you want me to do?"

"Be yourself, and not this persona of a Pokemon who tortures others for his own amusement!" Manahy snarled.

"That Pokemon didn't work out!" Victini argued.

"It didn't because you were lazy, and you know it!" said Manaphy. "Be the Pokemon who stood up for Heatran when he-uh….she was made fun of, or the Pokemon who helped me forward when I got pregnant in college!'

Victini folded his arms. "The same Pokemon who didn't even show up for class all the time? The same Pokemon who believed he was so entitled to victory he didn't even have to try?"

"So this is the alternative?" Manaphy asked. "Becoming a complete sadistic jerk and torturing teenagers? Alienating yourself from the other legendaries?"

"It…..worked for Mew," Victini said softly.

"No it didn't! Sure he got the job as host, but now he's unlikable, and did you hear what poor Celebi had to go through?"

Victini sighed, finally giving up the argument. "It's…..just hard Manaphy. I'm not sure I can do it."

"Hey calm down," said Manaphy soothingly. "Just take it slow. Keep hosting your show, but be a little nicer to the campers, and start talking to the others again. I'm telling you all this because you're a good friend, and a nice guy deep down. If I didn't believe you could change, I wouldn't have bothered."

Victini leaned back, finally at peace. "Thank you Manaphy. I needed this."

Manaphy nodded.

Suddenly a thought crossed Victini's mind. "Can I still be a jerk to Ninjask."

Manahy giggled. "Yes Victini, you can still be a jerk to Ninjask."

0000

A loud banging noise caused Gallade to violently wake up, carefully observing his surroundings. A look of confusion spawned on his face when he realized he was no longer on his hamlet, but instead inside a dark, windowless room filled with nothing but boxes.

He immediately rose and began to inspect several of the boxes, only to find out they were empty. Seeing as there was nothing of significance in the room, he made his way to the door, attempting to exit the door. However, before he could even open the door, the door spontaneously combusted in flames, causing Gallade to move away from the door in order to avoid getting burned. Unfortunately, the move seemed useless as the fire rapidly spread throughout the room in a matter of seconds.

Gallade glanced around the room desperately trying to find another way out without burning himself, but was unsuccessful seeing as the only opening was the door. A he glanced around the room, he failed to notice the burnt door opening, another bladed Pokemon walking inside the room.

"What's the matter? Stuck?" The other Pokemon sarcastically asked. Upon hearing the voice, Gallade immediately turned around, blades extended.

"YOU!" he spat, venom spewing out of his voice. The other Pokemon gave him an amused smirk.

"Yes, me," The other Pokemon said, his voice as cold as steel. "You know, I never forgave you for this." He then showed Gallade one of his arms, which happened to be missing a blade.

"You deserved it after all you've done to me, Bisharp," Gallade retaliated. "Now, I'm going to finish the job." Without warning, Gallade sprinted towards Bisharp, ready to strike him.

"Win or lose, this should be fun," Bisharp remarked, getting ready to block Gallade's attack. However, once both blades clashed into each other, a bright light began to fill the room, blinding Gallade…

Gallade immediately shot up, surprised to find himself back in his hamet. He sighed, it was only a dream. Still a bit shaken up, he attempted to fall back to sleep, but after a few minutes, got up from his hamlet and leapt off the tree. Training is what he needed.

"Going for a walk?" Said a voice. Gallade didn't turn.

"Grovyle. Why are you here?"

"I was in the neighborhood," Said Grovyle wryly.

"I'm not a fan of neighbors," said Gallade simply.

Grovyle shrugged. "I just wanted to thank you for saving me from Braixen. Her fire could have hurt me pretty badly."

"Don't mention it."

"But seriously, thanks. I just needed to emphasise that," said Grovyle with gratitude.

"...I don't deserve the thank you," said Gallade slowly.

"Pardon?" Grovyle asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your gratitude. I don't deserve it. My actions were because of my dislike of fire. I wouldn't have helped you if it wasn't present."

"Well then….thank you for your honesty," siad Grovyle firmly. Gallade chuckled.

"Goodnight Grovyle."

And with that he was gone.

0000

That's the end!

This chapter we get some Gallade and Victini backstory, and sadly it is Braixen who leaves. But sadly it was inevitable with her stubbornness. Sorry girl.

Once again, any questions will happily be answered. Though I will say you guys should send them as pms rather than reviews. I lose track of reviews.

Till next time mi amigos!

Braixen: Review or I'm BURNING down!


	17. Chapter 17: The Sandile Lot

0000

Gallade's single eye twitched. This was getting annoying.

Spinning around, he shot a psycho cut at one of the trees behind him. His aim was perfect, and one of the branches came crashing down, Sylevon holding on for dear life and shrieking when she hit the ground.

Gallade folded his arms, giving her a deadpanned look. Sylveon scrambled to her feet with a gulp.

"Oh….hi Gallade! I didn't see you there! I was just taking photos and-ugh there's no recovering from this is there?" Sylevon mumbled.

Gallade shook his head. "I'm going somewhere else now. Please stop following me."

As Gallade turned around, Sylveon steeled her nerves. "WAIT!"

Gallade turned slightly. Sylveon blushed, immediately regretting her outburst.

"I-I just….look. You're so strong and skilled and...I just wanted some advice."

Gallade shook his head. "I'm not stupid. There are Pokemon who are about as powerful as I. They are easier to approach. What is the real reason for coming to me?"

Sylveon gulped. "Um...well…..I just….don't know?"

Gallade snorted. "Goodbye."

As he left, Sylveon sighed. "Darn...so close."

Umbreon came over, cuffing her on the head. "What the hell was that? I said be sweet, not dorky."

Sylveon groaned. "Well it's not easy….at least I got over my stuttering phase."

Umbreon snorted. "True enough. How did you even get through high school?"

Sylveon shrugged. "I didn't talk to many people and….wait that's not my point! Why are you making me do this anyway?"

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "Because he'll be less suspicious of you. You're all pink...and cute….ew. Is that the evolution you HAD to pick?"

Sylveon blushed angrily and let out a huff. "Well it's not like it was MY choice!"

Umbreon chuckled. "But regardless, I don't trust him, and I wasn't expecting him to get this far. Just...keep trying okay?"

Sylveon sighed. "I guess…"

0000

Scrafty walked over to where Munchlax, Bidoof, and Shuckle were sitting, a big fake grin on his face as he wrapped an arm around Munchlax's neck.

"Hey guys, how's breakfast?"

Munchlax coughed, dropping his fork. Shuckle gave Scrafty an uncomfortable look.

"Bearable, I guess. What do you want, Scrafty?"

Scrafty raised an eyebrow. "What? Can't a friend just greet another friend in the morning?"

"Not in your case," Shuckle muttered. "Every time you come to us, it's to ask us a favor. Spill it, who do you want gone next time?"

Scrafty's grin almost became a sneer. "Hey I'm doing this to help your friend, remember? Don't turn on me."

Shuckle sighed. "Fine. But seriously, who's next?"

Scrafty leaned in. "I want Umbreon gone tonight. She's a dangerous competitor. After her, let's take out Gallade."

Munchlax was still coughing, trying to choke down his food. Shuckle glanced at him, before nodding.

"Okay, that's fair."

Scrafty simply winked, giving his stress ball a squeeze as he went to go talk to Audino.

Bidoof grinned. "Now ain't he a decent feller?"

Munchlax finally cleared his throat, gasping in relief. "So...we vote for Umbreon, then?"

Shuckle looked uncomfortable. "I don't know….I don't like what he's doing…."

"How do ya figure?" Bidoof drawled.

"I mean...can't you guys see he's been using us?" Shuckle asked desperately.

Munchlax shrugged. "Really? I just thought he was friends with Sableye, like us."

Shuckle shook his head. "I doubt it, but look. All he's been doing is using us to his advantage to eliminate whomever he wants!"

"Did you just use the word, 'whom?'" Munchlax asked with a snicker.

"Yeah, it's called GOOD ENGLISH!" Shuckle snapped. "But that's not the point! He's not helping us out, he's controlling the vote!"

Bidoof coughed. "Well what d'you reckon we should do 'bout it? Fer Arceus sakes Sableye is our frien'!"

"I know, but to be fair he sort of deserves to go home….and besides, if Scrafty stays in control he'll dump him eventually, along with the rest of us!"

Munchlax rubbed his arm. "So...you want us to vote off him or Sableye?"

Shuckle sighed. "I hope not, but if this escalates to extremes, yeah. When it comes down to it, this is still a competition, and at the end of the day everyone is going to go home at one point."

Munchlax and Bidoof looked at each other, apparently still not convinced.

 **0000**

" **I don' know Shuckle, this jes feels wrong," Said Bidoof sadly. "Aww I don' know what t'do! I'm not the brains of this team!"**

 **0000**

 **Sableye giggled. "This is great! As long as Scrafty's on my side, I can't go home! My only problem at this point is Carbink, and he's just trying to stay out of it!"**

 **0000**

Infernape smiledas he blitzed through the forest, occasionally swinging from tree to tree. He decided to look for the idol, but felt like it would be too boring, so instead he decided to attempt exploring the forest while running as fast as he can. Granted, he paid more attention to running than the actual exploring.

 **0000**

" **Man, who knew there were so many blurry things in the forest." Infernape shouted. "I managed to count up to thirty-five spots, though I'm pretty sure one of them was a corpse."**

 **0000**

"Oh, hey Scrafty!" Audino greeted as the hoodlum Pokemon took a seat next to her.

"Hey."

"Is the stress ball working out fine?" Audino asked.

"I guess. It isn't as good as the smoke but it'll do for now." Scrafty sighed. "Anyways, what's new with you?"

"Nothing much. I took a nature walk with Grovyle and had to cure her when she got poisoned while fighting an Arbok."

Scrafty couldn't help but chuckle at this. "What was she doing that aggravated the Arbok?"

"Well, I accidentally stepped on its tail, causing it to get angry" Audino stated, flushing from embarrassment.

"Careful where you step, miss nurse. We wouldn't want to lose our medic," said Scrafty with a quiet chuckle.

Audino leaned over the table, a playful look in her eyes. "Why Mr. Scrafty, is that a hint of concern in your tone? Do you care about me that much?"

Scrafty didn't hesitate, though his grin became wider and knowing. "Maybe I do. Is there something wrong with me doctor?"

"I guess I'll have to spend more time with you to get a better 'diagnosis'," Audino said sweetly, clearly trying not to burst out laughing. She failed though, and some of the other campers turned at the sound of quiet snickers between the two of them.

 **0000**

" **Scrafty isn't so bad," Audino said. "Though, you have to actually soften him up first before he actually shows it. I'm glad I was able to do so."**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty leaned back, shivering slightly with a satisfied grin. "Tempting."**

 **0000**

"Donphan, are you sure a card would be the best way to woo her?" asked Ampharos skeptically. "Doesn't this feel a little bit...I don't know...middle school?"

Donphan snorted. "Well you didn't like the Romeo and Juliet idea so…."

"What, killing myself and hoping she follows suit? Brilliant plan!" Ampharos said sarcastically.

Donphan let out a huff and sat down. "I need inspiration." 

"For what?" Asked Ampharos. "Your Shakespeare act?"

"Yes. I won't lie, I've run out of material, and I've done every play I can think of!"

Ampharos shrugged. "I don't know man...does she even like me?" 

"Who, Zorua?" Asked Ninjask, flying by. "You need to put that question into perspective. It's not whether she likes you, it's whether she tolerates you. And no offense, but in your case that's a pretty slim chance."

"Well screw you too!" Ampharos called after him.

"YOU WILL HAVE TO SCREW HIM LATER AMPHAROS, BECAUSE IT'S CHALLENGE TIME!" A familiar voice shouted from the megaphone.

Zorua snapped close her book. "Son of a bitch!"

"Challenge time already?" Carbink asked as he attempted to drink a cup of strangely colored liquid given to him by Hariyama. He took a sip and immediately spit it out, gagging.

"God dammit, did you give us bleach again?" Infernape said with a snicker. "Oh you sly dog, you."

"Guys I think Carbink is dying," said Grovyle in concern. The poor rock was frothing at the mouth.

"Oh just use max revive, big baby." Hariyama mumbled.

0000

Victini greeted the arriving campers with enthusiastic grins. He was dressed up in an umpire's outfit, complete with a whistle. He had turned the dodgeball area into a giant baseball field.

"It's time for some-"

"Oh no wait, let me guess!" Said Ninjask in mock excitement. "It's golf!

"No Ninjask," Victini with a sigh. "Do you have to do this every episode?"

"Are you going to be an asshole every episode," Ninjask snapped back.

"Hey, I'm TRYING to be better!" Victini protested.

"Yeah, and I'm sure Darth Vader wasn't TRYING to blow up Alderaan," Ninjask retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Anyways…today's challenge is a classic game of baseball, an extremely popular sport in the Unova region." Victini exclaimed.

"Isn't baseball only played in Unova?" Charizard grunted.

"(Sigh)…professionally, yes it is, though it is enjoyed by Pokemon of all regions. Anyways, like a regular baseball game, all you have to do is score the most points to win. The Sevipers will be batting first. You all have ten minutes to figure out your positions and/or batting order. GO!" Victini shouted, causing everyone to scatter.

 **0000**

" **Great, a game that punishes me for having stubby arms," Ampharos sighed. "Hopefully we either win or someone does worse than me. Oh wait, Carbink doesn't even HAVE arms." Ampharos chuckled. "Yeah, I'm fine."**

 **0000**

 **Carbink looked at the camera before letting out a frustrated roar. "FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"**

 **0000**

" **All right, Baseball!" Infernape cheered. "Now this is a game I know! I used to play this game with my friends back at home. Ah…the amount of windows shattered by us, good times."**

 **0000**

Ninjask was reading over a list. "So does anyone even know all of the positions of this mentally straining game of Tee-ball?"

"Uh, who doesn't bro?" Asked Munchlax. "Even I know, and I'm about as athletic as a sweet potato."

Ninjask rolled his eyes, before mimicking Munchlax's voice. "Hey I lived underground for most of my life. I didn't exactly have a lot of chances to shoot touchdowns or throw hoops or whatever you do in sports."

"Is that how I sound like?" Asked Munchlax, horrified. "As a complete geek, I need you to know if I sound like that when I talk about sports."

Shuckle chose that moment to change the conversation. "Alright, let old Strategist Shuckle handle the details."

"You realize I'm never going to call you that, right?" Asked Ninjask dryly.

"Yeah, good point… I need a better title. Like fleet admiral, or commander in chief-"

"Shuckle, you're not the goddamn president," Scrafty said with a groan.

"Can we please get back on track," Swampert kindly asked, though there was a sense of frustration in his voice.

Shuckle rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Point is, baseball is actually a very strategic game based off of player skills and statistics. For the outfield, you want quick players who can dive out there if they need to. Sableye, Umbreon, and Bidoof are pretty limber, so they'll work out well. Munchlax should be catcher, and I want Swampert at one of the bases. Anyone want to volunteer for pitcher?" He asked.

Grovyle shrugged. "I have a pretty good arm. I'll do it."

"Good, then we'll work from there. By the way Sableye….I have a job for you…"

0000

Meanwhile, Charizard was telling everyone on the Sevipers their positions.

"Ok, since Carbink is going to be nearly useless in this challenge, he'll go first."

"Thanks," Carbink sarcastically retorted.

"Why?" Lucario asked, raising an eyebrow.

"So we get him out of the way. Anyways, I'll go next, followed by Infernape, then Ampharos, then Tepig, then Donphan, then Slowking. After Slowking will be Lucario, than Sylveon, and lastly Zorua."

"Seems decent enough" Zorua shrugged.

"Ok…let's win this!" Ampharos cheered.

 **0000**

" **Is it me or is Charizard acting a bit crankier than usual?" Lucario asked. "Must be the pressure of the competition finally getting to him."**

 **0000**

 **Sableye giggled, a list in his hands. "Clever little me managed to get a looksie at the batting order! Eehehehe, at this point they'll HAVE to keep me!"**

 **0000**

Victini and Hariyama were sitting in front of the stadium as the Zangeese got into positions.

"This is it, Harry! Nine innings of some good ol' B-ball!" Victini said. Hariyama let out a gruff chuckle.

The Zany Zangoose had set themselves over the field as Carbink made his way to the home plate, dragging a bat via mouth. Umbreon, Bidoof, and Sableye stood in the outfield, Bidoof looking excited, Umbreon looking irritated, and Sableye tied up to a post with a leash.

"You know; this is REALLY degrading!" Sableye snarled.

"Well maybe next time you should think before stealing everyone's personal belongings," said Umbreon in a bored tone.

"Oh come on, that happened so long ago! What have I done recently!?" Sableye moaned.

"You did this a week ago," said Umbreon.

Bidoof was hopping up and down. "Aw calm down ye flock of chickens! This is gon' be real fun time!"

Umbreon sighed. "You know, every day I wonder why I haven't quit yet. I'm starting to think it's because the two of you are so moronic it's beginning to rub off on me."

"Well you don't need to be so mean about it!" Sableye snapped.

Umbreon gave him a glance. "I LITERALLY could not care enough about you to give that kind of attention. I'm just being honest."

Bidoof wrapped an arm around her, and she froze. "Don' worry Umbreon, we'll get alon' jes fine! How about after we win we go an' have a granny slappin' good time at the beach? I'll even tell ya about the time I did in a Salamence!"

"Bidoof?"

"Yup yup?"

"There is nothing about this situation that I am not completely physically, emotionally, and spiritually disgusted by. I despise everything about you, and if we weren't on television I would have either killed you, or killed myself for making contact with you."

Bidoof blinked.

"Now get off me."

Bidoof let go, but he had a thoughtful expression on his face. "Oh...I can see the problem now! You jes need a pal!"

"Oh my God…" said Umbreon, one of her eyes twitching.

"Don' worry, new frien'! We'll be hangin' around more often!"

"Oh my God!"

 **0000**

" **Oh we're gon' have good ol' shindig!" Said Bidoof happily. "She'll be havin' oodles of fun before she knows it!"**

 **0000**

" **Oh my GOD!" Umbreon growled.**

 **0000**

Swampert stood at first base, Scrafty at second, and Shuckle at third. Audino was short stop, and Munchlax was chosen to be the umpire. Ninjask sat in the dugout, shouting out orders to the players on the field.

Once the two teams were settled, Grovyle made her way to the pitcher's mound.

As Carbink made his way to the home plate, Grovyle eyed him as he lifted his bat with his mouth. She snickered as he stumbled around, trying to keep it steady.

"Easy out," she said with a smirk.

She threw a lazy pitch, but was shocked when Carbink swung the bat hard, hitting the ball out into the outfield. Carbink's form shimmered as he dashed to first, before revealing that it was Zorua disguised as Carbink. By the time Bidoof threw the ball to Grovyle, Zorua had already reached second.

"Did you really think that we wouldn't think of Sableye spying on us?" Asked Slowking with a yawn. "We heard Sableye coming from a mile away.

Shuckle grit his teeth. "Oh we're not done yet!"

Charizard snorted fire as he stepped out, swinging his bat in his small arms. Shuckle gave Grovyle a wink, who let out a cocky nod.

With a grunt, Grovyle threw it as hard as she could, below Charizard's belly. Charizard was too tall to reach it properly and he quickly found himself at two strikes. He decided to hold his bat lower, but Grovyle was clever enough to throw the ball higher, catching the dragon off guard and striking him out.

As Charizard grumbled to himself, Infernape took his place, excitedly hopping up and down.

"Alright guys, time to show you a REAL slugger! Infernape Ruth, they call me! Faster than a speeding-"

Grovyle, annoyed by his tone, threw the ball as quickly as she could. Infernape wasn't fazed and slammed the ball into the outfield.

"OW!" Sableye screamed as it hit him on the head. Umbreon picked up the ball.

"Okay, so who do I throw it too?" She asked lazily.

"THROW IT TO THIRD YOU FREAKY FOX!" Grovyle shouted.

"Which one is third?" She asked, stretching.

"Don't be a wiseass! Just throw it!"

"Sure thing, pal." Umbreon tossed the ball lightly to Grovyle, who whipped it to third, but by that time Zorua and Infernape had made it home, scoring two runs for their team.

"Umbreon, what the hell was that! You could have prevented them!" Ninjask snapped in disbelief.

Umbreon gave him a cool look. "I'm sorry, but I was protesting against baseball."

"And why is that?"

"It's oppressing me."

"What!? Why?"

"Because I really don't feel like playing!"

"Rrgh!" Ninjask grumbled to himself. "Whatever...just actually make the play next time!" 

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "If you can tell me what a ground rule double is."

Ninjask tapped a claw to his chin. "Uh...that's when you...well that is...just shut up and play!"

Ampharos stepped up to the plate next, doing a few practice swings. When Grovyle threw the ball, he made contact, but tripped before making it halfway to first base, allowing Audino to throw the ball to Swampert in time to get him out.

"Excellent work, twinkle toes! Your coordination is really what this team needs!" Tepig said sarcastically as he hit home plate with his bat.

Grovyle cracked her neck. "Hate to be competing against you Tepig, but we need to win this one!"

"Just like the last two challenges? You lot have your work cut out for you," Tepig said with a smirk.

Grovyle grit her teeth, throwing a curveball that caught Tepig off guard. When he hit the ball, it was a pop fly.

"So, have any twos?" Sableye chattered.

"No, go fish," said Umbreon shortly, before giving a lazy glance to the sky.

"Can you move over for a second, Bidoof?" Umbreon asked suddenly. Bidoof shrugged and moved out of the way. Umbreon walked to where he was sitting and raised her glove, the ball falling into it.

"Neat, I got an out," Said Umbreon. "So can I go home now?"

"NO!" Ninjask roared at her. "We're losing by two thanks to you. Now it's OUR turn to bat!"

"The organization in this game is _astounding,_ " Umbreon muttered as the three of them walked back to the dugout.

Tepig immediately walked to the pitcher's mound with Infernape, Donphan, and Charizard in the outfield. Slowking was the catcher, and the bases were taken up by Ivysaur at first base, Zorua at second and Ampharos in third. Sylveon was the shortstop, trying to avoid eye contact with Zorua as much as possible. That girl gave her the creeps.

Ninjask stepped up first, spinning the bat in his hands. "Oh well would you look who's pitching. The porker with no social skills."

Tepig snorted out fire. "Oh and would ya look who's batting. The insect with no baseball skills."

"Oh yeah? At least I know the difference between alcohol and milk, Ninjask deadpanned.

Tepig gave him a wink. "At least I won't be cactus in a few weeks."

"Watch it, bacon bits!"

"Would you two stop flirting and get this game over with?" Umbreon asked in a dull voice.

"Umbreon, you're more sarcastic than usual today, is something wrong?" Asked Munchlax.

"No, I just REALLY hate baseball."

"If you insist." Tepig smirked as he tossed the ball. Much to his surprise, Ninjask smacked the ball to third base. Ampharos tried to catch the ball, but he stumbled, causing the ball to fall out of his glove. Meanwhile, Ninjask managed to already get to second base. Ampharos sighed as he stepped on third, Ninjask long since safe.

Next to bat was Gallade, who looked at his bat in an extremely dull like manner. Tepig stared at his opponent before tossing the ball with all his strength. Without paying much attention, Gallade managed to hit the ball right out of the field, scoring a homerun. Ninjask smirked at Tepig as he arrived at home base, Gallade following shortly after.

"TEPIG, what is going ON with you today!" Charizard growled.

Tepig shrugged. "Well I'm sorry mate, they clearly sent out their two best players!"

"Gallade only has ONE EYE!" 

"Oh be quiet, I don't have opposable thumbs!" Tepig shot back. "Bloody Americans and their stupid ass games and governments-"

"So are you gonna throw th' ball at me?" Asked Bidoof, the bat in his mouth.

"Oh I'll be throwin' it alright," Tepig said with a smirk. He threw it hard, hitting Bidoof on the side of the head. As he fell with a scream, Victini's voice came from the stands.

"Take your base, Bidoof!"

Tepig looked up in disbelief. "What? What kind of bullshit is that? I threw the ball and he didn't hit it!"

"Because you can't hit POKEMON with the balls! That's a penalty!"

"We didn't have bloody penalties back when we played soccer! And that shit's filled to the brim with-"

"Um…dude can you throw it to me already?" Asked Munchlax. "Bidoof's already on first."

"SHUT UP!" Tepig shouted, hurling the ball and hitting Munchlax in the stomach, causing the big eater to double over.

"What, DOES HE GET TO WALK A FLIPPIN' BASE TOO?" Tepig asked, a brow arched.

"Uh….yes," Victini said, looking horrified. "You are causing literal crippling injuries."

"Oh you want a crippling injury, do you? Alright ya big firey fox, I've got some choice words for-"

"Tepig, we're in the middle of a game. Would you kindly start taking it seriously?" Swampert asked in his quiet tone.

Tepig threw a glance over his shoulder. "And I'm in the middle of a bloody conversation! Quit interrupting, it's rude!"

Swampert sighed. "Just throw the ball."

Tepig threw it as hard as he could, and Swampert missed it. Tepig, getting cocky, threw the ball far lighter, and Swampert slammed it over into home run territory. Bidoof, Munchlax, and Swampert all ran home, making the score five to two.

"Victini, can we change positions?" Asked Sylveon with a sigh.

"Sorry, girl. Not happening. Unless you want CARBINK to pitch for you!" Victini called down.

"Never mind, Tepig we LOVE YOU!" Infernape said desperately.

Tepig tipped his hat. "Of course you do. Now who's next?"

Umbreon mumbled to herself as she walked onto home plate, bat in mouth. "That ball touches me and this bat is going up your nose."

Tepig raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Well that depends on which ball you're referring-"

A rock suddenly hit him on the head, throwing him off his feet. "Ow, what the bloody hell was that for?"

"Censorship. Haryiama knew what you were going to say."

"Well…" said Umbreon with a lazy smirk, aiming her bat. "It's good to see SOMEONE who knows how to aim."

"Oh your dead bitch," Tepig snapped. He threw the ball hard, but Umbreon didn't swing, pulling off a bunt. She walked over to first as Slowking scooped up the ball.

"You know, if you didn't worry about your ego so much, you would actually be useful in this challenge," Slowking yawned before tossing the ball to Ivysaur.

"Uh guys, I don't have hands, how am I supposed to catch the ball?" Ivysaur asked as the ball whisked past his head. Umbreon shrugged as she stepped on first, starting her way slowly to second.

"Couldn't you have use your vines?" Ampharos asked.

"It's so awkward though," Said Ivysaur, as Infernape and Donphan slammed into each other, trying to catch the ball that flew in between them.

"JUST DO IT!" Charizard snapped, finally snatching up the ball and throwing it to Ampharos, who fumbled with it just as Umbreon went down the line to home plate. Finally, he got control of the ball, but he threw it too high and it knocked Shelder off Slowking's head.

 **0000**

" **I'm surrounded by complete MORONS!" Zorua snapped. "The only two on my team that don't get on my nerves are Ampharos and Slowking. Ampharos is…. tolerable and Slowking is the only other member of the team that actually has a brain. I'll have to get rid of him later, he's becoming too much of an increasing threat ."**

 **0000**

"Wow," said Umbreon, stepping on home plate. "That was off a bunt…I think I feel embarrassed FOR you."

"WHY IS OUR TEAM SO BAD!?" Zorua screamed as Slowking picked up Shelder.

Victini floated down. "You know, there's a mercy rule if-"

"Oh quiet with the ear bashing, we haven't lost yet!" Tepig snorted. "Besides, all those other times were a fluke!"

" **LISTEN TEPIG!"** came Slowking's voice in Tepig's head. " **WE CAN STILL WIN, BUT YOU NEED TO LEARN THE VALUE OF TEAMWORK. I UNDERSTAND YOU HAVE A SECRET FEAR OF FAILURE, BUT YOU NEED TO PRETEND LIKE YOU CARE FOR THIS ONE."**

" _Pssh secret fear of failure. I don't know what you're talking...about...S-SHUT up ya overgrown hermit crab!_

" **Yes, yes we both know you make fun of others to hide your crippling insecurities about yourself."**

" _Okay mate, you're a cool bloke, but if you say anything else about me I'll show you images of my past that will send ya into therapy. Fine I'll cooperate. Do you actually want me to do anything, or was this just so you could teach me the value of friendship?"_

" **Ha. Just follow my lead when I give you signs for what types of pitches. Just stay calm."**

Grovyle steadied her bat, giving Tepig a cool look. "You ready for another run on your hands?"

Tepig didn't answer, instead whipping the ball to Slowking. Grovyle swung once…. twice...and three times, and she was out by the third pitch.

"FINALLY!" Zorua said, rubbing her face in relief. "Now do that like, twice more!"

Tepig simply nodded, finally focused on the game. He struck out Shuckle easily, and while Audino was able to hit it into the outfield, Charizard flew in the air and caught it, finally ending the inning.

"Switch positions!" Victini shouted as the Sevipers went up to bat, Donphan leading.

"Wait, is this...MOTIVATION!" Donphan suddenly said to himself. "Aha! I name this divine weapon Mijoner, I will take back our land, and bring glory to our-"

"Hey! Pay attention!" Charizard roared, snapping the elephant Pokemon back from his thoughts. Right on cue, Grovyle tossed the ball again. Donphan swing with all his might, but ended up missing. Growling, Donphan prepared himself for when Grovyle threw the ball, managing to hit it to first. However, Swampert easily managed to catch it, eliminating Donphan.

Slowking was up next and Grovyle couldn't help but smirk.

"This should be easy" she said before tossing the ball at him with a considerable about of strength. Unfortunately for her, Slowking sacked the ball right out of the field, scoring a homerun.

"You were saying," Slowking replied as he slowly walked towards all the bases.

Next was Lucario who Grovyle threw a fastball at, but the fighting type Pokemon managed to hit the ball, causing it to soar out of the field, winning the Sevipers another home run.

"That was light work," Lucario smirked as she and Slowking high fived. Grovyle let out a soft snarl.

Ivysaur was up next, trying to steady his bat with his vines. Grovyle slapped herself in the face to focus herself. She managed to Ivysaur to strike out twice before he managed to hit it to the outfield. Bidoof was able to catch it however, officially ending Ivysaur's time on the field.

"One more, Grovyle!" Audino called over to the grass type, who nodded. She couldn't let herself be overcome with nerves.

Next up was Carbink, who groaned as he made it to home plate. Grovyle stared at him before tossing the ball towards him. He tried to hit it, but due to him having both no arms nor any athletic ability, he failed as the ball whizzed past him. Once she got the ball back, Grovyle got ready to throw again. This time, she went for a fastball which Carbink again failed to hit. Grovyle immediately tossed it again, this time putting less power into it. Carbink attempted to swing, but he managed to lose his grip on the bat, causing it to fly towards Sableye, nearly hitting the ghost type Pokemon.

"Hey! Watch where you throw your bats!" Sableye shouted as he rubbed his head. "Damn kids these days…"

The baseball game continued on, and thanks to Tepig's cooperation they were able to narrow the score in the third and fourth innings.

But during the fifth inning the gap widened again. Tepig smirked as he struck out Sableye. Gallade went up to bat (the order having been swapped), and Tepig chortled.

"Oh look it's the cyclops. You're lack of depth perception won't be doin' ya any favors, mate."

Gallade simply grunted in annoyance, and when Tepig threw the pitch Gallade swung the bat, hitting the ball straight towards the smug fire type. Tepig was hit right on the nose, and he shouted in pain as he clutched it, fire snorting everywhere.

"You goddamn wanker! You bloody scythe piece of shit! Ow, that smarts!" Gallade managed to make it to second before Tepig finally got his act together.

"That was a little mean, not that he didn't deserve it," said Zorua, astonished. Gallade simply shrugged.

"Ow…. see this is why you HAVE NO FRIENDS!" Tepig snarled.

 **0000**

 **Gallade's scythe was on the side of the confessional. "Tepig's comment about friendship did not...bother me...HAAAA!" His scythe made a deep gash on the wall of the confessional. "Hmm…. I suppose he hit a nerve there.** **Touché."**

 **0000**

"Perhaps if you focused more instead of picking on the weak, events would have turned out differently," Said Gallade, though there was an edge to his tone.

"Picking on the-You just hit me on my goddamn nose you wanker! Ow, damn it hurts!"

 **0000**

" **Damn that was a roast!" Infernape shouted.**

 **0000**

" **Is it wrong that I found that attractive?" Sylveon asked. "I mean that was sort of assault, but wow...that technique." She quickly shook her head to stop drooling. "Um….so do you guys think I have a chance with Gallade?"**

 **0000**

Scrafty slammed the ball into the outfield when he was up, snickering as he ran to first and Gallade to third. Sylveon tripped and started to fall, but suddenly Ampharos caught her.

"Oh…. thanks…." Sylveon said, blushing slightly. Ampharos gave her an embarrassed grin when his static ability shocked her.

 **0000**

 **Sylveon can be seen blushing in the confessional. "Okay, judge me all you want, but it's not my fault that all the boys are so darn cute!"**

 **0000**

"Don't worry, I'll make sure she's okay," said Zorua, steadying Zorua with a bright smile on her face, walking her back to second.

"Wow...I didn't know you were this nice Zorua," said Sylveon in surprise. "Thank you...ow! Too tight!"

Zorua was gripping her shoulder tightly, whispering in her ear. "So…. want to tell me what that was?"

"Wh-what?"

"Oh honey…." Zorua whispered in a false sweet tone. "Ampharos is off limits. Which means if you don't get your filthy home wrecking paws off her you're going to regret it!~"

"O-okay," Sylveon squeaked, trying to escape, but Zorua's grip was too strong.

"I'll give you one warning, because I'm a nice person I'll let you slide by him. But if you even make eye contact with him again well…. put it this way…" She grabbed Sylveon by the ribbons and pressing her close.

"No immunity idol in the WORLD is going to save you from what I have planned."

Sylveon went pale as Zorua chuckled coldly. "Is that clear?"

"C-crystal."

"Good girl. Now act natural."

"Uh Sylveon, are you okay?" Asked Ivysaur. "Why are you crying?"

"Oh she'll be fine," said Zorua. "Everything is okay, right Sylveon?"

"C-crystal," said Sylveon shivering.

 **0000**

" **Why are girls SO SCARY!?" Ivysaur asked, terrified.**

 **0000**

Next up to bat was Audino, who struck out, followed by Swampert who managed to hit it to second base. Gallade managed to make it home while Swampert made it to first. However, Scrafty was tagged by Lucario when attempting to reach second base, causing the teams to switch places again.

Switching the order, a bit, Lucario was first up to bat. Though Grovyle managed to pitch a beautiful curve ball, Lucario smacked it into home run territory, earning her team a run. Next was Charizard, who aimed his bat lower, learning from his mistake last time. Grovyle managed to give him two strikes before he managed to hit it to the outfield. Sableye ran to catch the ball, but his leash prevented him from moving very far, jerking him backwards and allowing Charizard to fly to second.

"God damn leash!" Sableye yelled. "Can I please just be released from this murderous contraption already!"

"Yea…how about no," Ninjask dully replied as Slowking slowly made his way to home plate.

 **0000**

" **SIMPLETONS!" Sableye snarled. "As soon as I get out of this torture device Ninjask will be my first target!"**

 **0000**

"You may have gotten the best of me last time, but this time you won't" Grovyle said before pitching a powerful fastball. Slowking just blinked before swinging his bat, sending the ball to second base. Before anyone was able to grab it, Slowking had already made it to first.

"Your pitches are too predictable," Slowking said with a smirk, causing the grass type Pokemon to seethe with anger. Next up was Tepig, who easily hit it to first, however Swampert managed to catch it, ending his time on the field.

Next was Ampharos, who struck out, followed by Donphan who slammed it into the outfield. Next was Carbink who unsurprisingly struck out, followed by Ivysaur, who hit it to first. Swampert attempted to catch the ball, but was too slow as Ivysaur made it safely.

"Seems like you're losing your game," Zorua snickered as she made her way to home plate. Grovyle let out a roar before hurling the ball towards Zorua, managing to strike out the fox Pokemon. Grovyle smirked.

"You were saying."

The next three innings were close, the Sevipers catching up but unable to pull the lead. Shuckle, Munchlax, Ampharos and Carbink continued to struggle, while Swampert, Gallade, Lucario and Slowking continued to perform extremely well.

It was the top of the ninth inning, with the Sevipers two runs behind the Zangoose. With two outs, Ampharos was up at bat, looking nervous. Both Sylveon and Lucario were on base, meaning if he got them home, they would pull out of the inning with a run ahead.

"Ampharos, just focus!" Zorua shouted. "You can be clumsy all you want after you get a home run! Keep eye contact!"

"All right, I can do this," Ampharos said, breathing heavily. Grovyle threw the ball hard, and Ampharos's swing was too slow.

"Strike one!" Called Munchlax, grinning as he threw the ball back to Grovyle.

"AMPHAROS...I SWEAR, IF YOU FAIL HERE YOU'RE OUT OF HERE!" Charizard bellowed.

"Will you be quiet?" Zorua snapped. "He's doing his best, unlike the rest of you losers. We need to be nice…. calm...and patient…"

The ball made it past Ampharos again, slamming into Munchlax's glove.

"AMPHAROS IF YOU FAIL THIS I WILL NEVER EVEN CONSIDER DATING YOU!" Zorua hissed, losing control over her emotions.

Ampharos' eyes widened before narrowing, spitting on the ground. Grovyle threw the ball, and for the first time Ampharos let loose his static ability. He made contact with the ball as electricity ran down the bat, and with a cry of defiance he slammed the ball with all of his power.

The ball sparked with electricity as it flew over everyone's heads, landing a home run. Everyone cheered as Ampharos ran around the bases, and though he tripped twice nobody cared or bothered to remind him of that fact.

Immediately after, a frustrated Grovyle easily struck out Ivysaur, forcing the teams to switch a final time.

"This is great!" Lucario said with a laugh. "We just can't let them get a single run and we win!"

"Tepig, can you pull this off?" Charizard asked the other fire type seriously.

"Easier than poaching' a wombat's kid," said Tepig, cracking his knuckles.

Swampert went up to bat first, and the Zangeese were expecting an easy home run, but Tepig focused, throwing three balls that Swampert missed, striking him out easily.

Sableye went out next, and though he managed to hit the ball, Zorua was fast enough to toss the ball to Ivysaur before the imp could make it to first base.

With two outs, Umbreon made her way to home plate, pointing the bat forward.

"Umbreon, you're our last hope! You NEED to put all your effort into this," said Ninjask in a pleading voice.

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "Fine. I hate you, but fine. Hey Tepig?"

Tepig cocked his head to the side. "What d'you want?"

"You throw like a girl."

As if it was an impulse, Tepig threw the ball forward as hard as he could without any thought or strategy, but it was what Umbreon wanted. Smirking, she slammed the ball into the outfield, sprinting her way around the bases.

Infernape pulled off a spectacular dive, catching the ball and throwing it to second before hitting the ground in a roll, while Umbreon ran to second as well.

Zorua smirked, ready to catch the ball, but Umbreon punched her hard in the face, bowling her over. Sylveon went pale as she stared in shock at the unconscious fox, Umbreon already on her way to third.

 **0000**

" **Oh don't be such wimps, it's not like this is the most barbaric thing that's been done on this show," said Umbreon. She chuckled. "Kicking that ice bitch's teeth in was satisfying though."**

 **000**

"Oy! Someone throw me the bloody ball!" Tepig cried. Ivysaur cast out a vine, wrapping it around the ball and tossing it to Tepig as Umbreon rounded third. As Tepig threw the ball, Umbreon slid for home plate as Slowking's hand outstretched…. ready to catch the ball….

FWOOOSH!

When the dust cleared, Slowking's glove was on Umbreon's chest. The dark type groaned when she realized her foot was a mere centimeter away from the base.

"AND THE STRIKING SEVIPERS WIN FOR THE THIRD TIME IN A ROW!" Victini shouted as the Sevipers cheered. Umbreon shook the dust out of her fur.

"Stupid ass game, making me care about winning," she muttered darkly as the Sevipers lifted up a bashful Ampharos on their shoulders.

 **0000**

" **Umbreon, enjoy your last night here," Said Scrafty, squeezing his stress ball.**

 **0000**

" **God damn it!" Ninjask hissed. "Why is Sableye still here?"**

 **0000**

 **Bidoof looked uncomfortable. "This don't feel right, but we made a promise to Scrafty...aww jes when we were starting to become friends."**

 **0000**

 **Umbreon's eye twitched. "I despise Bidoof. How much do restraining orders cost anyway?"**

 **0000**

Victini floated, happy to be back. "Okay my sweet little children, it's time to say goodbye to one of you."

Audino looked nervous, Ninjask annoyed, and Swampert at peace. Grovyle was pale, worrying that her pitching would not be up to scratch.

"The first Poke block goes to Shuckle, followed by Swampert and Ninjask."

As the three walked up, Umbreon suddenly felt a twinge of fear. Where the hell was this coming from?

"Gallade, Scrafty, and Bidoof are safe. Eh, let's have the whole trio get together. Munchlax you are safe as well."

Munchlax and Bidoof high fived as they got their Pokeblocks. Sableye was twitching, Grovyle was tapping the ground, and Umbreon grit her teeth in annoyance.

"Audino, you are the last Pokemon here that hasn't received ANY votes! Come up!" Victini said cheerfully. The Nurse sighed with relief, Scrafty patting her on the back.

Victini looked at the three remaining campers. "Well Grovyle, looks like you have a secret admirer, because you only got one measly vote against you. Enjoy the Poke block!"

Grovyle caught it and leaned back, relieved. Sableye and Umbreon stole a glance at each other, the two of them not wanting to look frightened.

"The final Poke block…. goes to…"

Sableye looked away, while Umbreon's gaze was defiant.

"... Umbreon."

Umbreon deflated, letting out a grim smile as she completely ignored her Poke block. Sableye went limp, wiping away a tear.

"Well, I'll be on my way. I had a good run guys…"

 **0000**

 **Sableye smiled sadly. "Guess I nailed in my own coffin, eh? Ah it's fine...I'll see Zorua again anyway…."**

" **Don't you mean Misdreavus?" came Ivysaur's voice.**

 **Sableye waved a hand away. "Yeah, whatever. I vote for Scrafty or my bros in team Eviolite. Carbink, your time here is limited! Peace!"**

 **0000**

"So…" said Scrafty slowly, folding his arms. "The two of you decided to get rid of Sableye after all."

"That's right," said Munchlax looking down, but Shuckle didn't back down.

"We voted for the Pokemon we felt deserved to go home," he said, though there was a lot of meaning behind that simple phrase.

"...Quite," said Scrafty, controlling his anger. "But I believe the Pokemon I had chosen would have benefited both of us."

"You thought wrong then," Shuckle said softly.

"Maybe…. but uh...I think the three of you might want to stay of what I'm trying to do," said Scrafty, a dangerous edge clear in his light tone. "This point in the game? It's time for the adults to play."

Shuckle snorted. "Look. I'm not stupid, I know what you're trying to do. But you won't be using my alliance's votes to your will anymore. Do what you want, but we're not part of the equation."

Scrafty raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. Instead he walked off, lightly giving them a wave of his hand.

"Was that a smart move, Shuckle?" Munchlax asked, nervous. Shuckle sighed.

"I don't know, but it's time to do something about this."

"Well what are we gonna do, brother?" Bidoof asked.

Shuckle gave them a firm look. "It's about time we started targeting Scrafty."

0000

The end of another chapter! Ill tidings await?

I liked this one surprisingly, I think we did a good job. Sableye FINALLY leaves, Ampharos does well and some possible development on Tepig's end. Dunno how the humor was, think I might have tried too hard.

Well that's it for now! Make sure to review, and any questions and predictions would happily be accepted!

Sableye: Review for DIAMONDS!


	18. Chapter 18: Step right up!

Hi guys, Diamond Toxic here and welcome to another chapter of Total Pokkemon Island! Anyways, I'm going to throw a few shameless plug-ins if you don't mind. Check out my newest story Poke-ronpa located on my other account, Fire Slash (why I have two accounts is a story in itself). Also check out Shuckle Masters story, The Chronicles Of Red. Both have darker themes than this story though (CoR is rated M) so be careful…

Shuckle Master: Oh DT, you and your self promotion shenanigans! You guys didn't come here for dark shit, you're here for some TPI! So without further ado, let it begin!

Oh and Finals are all done, so expect some more delicious chapters!~

0000

Once again, Carbink was sitting alone in the forest, scheming. But loath as he was to admit it, he found himself in a gamble. If his team could continue to win until the merge, he'd be deemed not a threat and would be safe. If they lost he was one of the primary candidates for elimination. He didn't like taking risks, he wanted guarantees.

In his mind, Carbink began to go through all the possible Pokemon he could attempt to eliminate when his team lost again. Eventually, he figured out his next target…Zorua.

 **0000**

 **Carbink smirked. "Zorua isn't well liked around here, so it'll be easy to eliminate her. Basically if we win, great! We lose, and Zorua is off this island!"**

 **0000**

Tepig and Zorua were sitting outside, trading barbs and being generally unproductive. After Tepig made another jab at her height, Zorua finally rolled her eyes, deciding that she needed to be the mature one.

"Look can we just solve this through some civilized discussion?" She muttered. "You said there might be another culprit behind the mega stone looting"

"Bloody oath!" Tepig exclaimed. "There were er...C's carved into the bunks of the Pokemon who's mega stones got nicked. Minccino got the idea that Sableye was tryin' to send a message."

"So what, like the letter of his first name?" Zorua asked.

Tepig nodded. "Exactly. And we got two Kookaburras on the island with names that start with C."

"Carbink….and Charizard," Zorua muttered to herself. "Well, I guess to solve this mystery we better split up. I'll talk to Charizard, and you can handle Carbink."

"Ripper! She'll be solved faster than Ivysaur was shot down by Braixen!"

 **0000**

 **Tepig snorted. "I don't trust that wily dingo, Zorua. She reminds me of me ol' mum when she'd shag men and poison 'em in their sleep to get their wills."**

 **He sighed. "I miss me mum, I need to visit her in the loony bin some time."**

" **0000**

Lucario was jogging to the forest. Though from someone else's view she was simply exercising, Lucario was searching actually for the idol.

"Having trouble I see…" Slowking said as he walked towards her.

"Gah! Um, I mean hi Slowking. Didn't see you there. I'm just looking for my contact lenses-"

"You were looking for the idol weren't you?" Slowking asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay... yeah I was," Lucario admitted. "You caught me."

Slowking shrugged. "Well I wish you luck but if you ask me, this might be a fool's errand."

"What do you mean?" Lucario asked.

"Well...Consider the simple fact that someone had already found the idol. Some Pokemon were able to make rather convincing copies of the real deal, so either they have a photographic memory or they hold true possession of the idol. But either way by all means keep searching. I may be wrong of course."

As he walked past, Lucario looked thoughtful. "I can never read that guy, and I'm an aura user."

Grovyle hopped down from a tree, giving Lucario a shrewd look. "He's right though, at least in the case of the forest. Believe me, I've checked EVERYWHERE."

Lucario frowned, focusing her aura on the grass type. There definitely wasn't ill intent behind Grovyle's words. She sighed, finally relaxing.

"I guess there's no use searching then. Do you have any idea about who may have it?"

Grovyle shrugged. "No idea. Maybe one of the self-starters like Gallade or Ninjask? Come to think of it though, wouldn't it have been the same guy who did the false idol scandal?"

Lucario nodded slowly. "That DOES make sense…., but that's another problem we never solved."

Grovyle shook her head grimly. "We definitely have some ideas though. And if I remember…. Umbreon had an interesting theory on the matter."

"Do tell," Lucario said, intrigued.

"She thought it was Carbink. And that-"

"I knew it!" Lucario said in shocked triumph.

"Wait what?" Grovyle asked, completely off track.

"A few challenges ago, I was with Carbink during the canoe challenge-"

"Romantic."

"Ha ha. During that time, I noticed his aura was….mostly negative, and it went at complete odds then with his personality. This….definitely isn't a coincidence.'

"No it isn't," Grovyle agreed, before nudging her. "Hey, want to finish this conversation over some brunch?"

Lucario hesitated for a moment, but eventually agreed. "Of course."

 **0000**

 **Lucario folded her arms. "I know she's a member of the other team, but with Lopunny gone I could use a friend or two. The merge has to be coming soon and after that...I just need to focus on not getting eliminated."**

0000

"FINALLY! IT IS DELICIOUS!" Munchlax moaned, inhaling his brunch as a few amused campers looked on.

"He has a point," said Ampharos said happily. "These Croissants are fantastic!"

Donphan was using his trunk to pick up his food. "Hariyama, have you always been able to cook like this?"

"Yes, but Victini only allowed me to cook my best at this point," Hariyama muttered.

"How are you all enjoying your meals?" Victini asked the campers in a very happy tone.

"It's shit" Ninjask growled, despite not taking even a bite. "And what the hell are you wearing?" The rest of the campers looked at Victini with a confused expression. Today, the host was wearing a top hat and a red clown nose. He also had white face paint on him. It seemed he applied blush on his cheeks, seeing as they were bright red.

"I'm glad you asked Ninjask, cause today's challenge is a carnival themed one, where you all are going to play some of the most popular and unpopular carnival games around" Victini exclaimed, causing a mixture of cheers and groans.

"Yay! I love me a good ol' carnival!" Bidoof happily exclaimed.

"SHIT!" Carbink shouted, causing his team to give him curious looks.

"Finally! I get a chance to avenge my crushing defeat in that accursed game, Whack a Drilbur!" Donphan exclaimed. "Darn those quick demons."

"I don't mean to be a buzzkill, but aren't we a little too old for this?" Charizard asked, crossing his arms.

"Oh come on, have a sense of whimsy!" Victini said with a small smirk. "Now meet me in the location where the baseball field used to be." With that, Victini teleported away.

 **0000**

" **Oh great…a carnival themed challenge." Ninjask sighed. "Seriously, will it kill Victini to be creative for once."**

 **0000**

" **Hey...Victini's being pretty cool for once," said Umbreon. "I think Ninjask is going a little too far."**

 **000**

Once everyone made their way to the sight of where the baseball stadium once stood, they were greeted by a huge carnival filled with various games, rides, and food stands.

"Welcome to…VICTINI LAND! The best carnival you'll ever visit!" Victini enthusiastically shouted as the last of the contestants arrived.

"That is not the name we agreed on," said Manaphy, floating forward. "And have you seen Phione? He's such a wanderer…."

Victini suddenly gestured to her. "Introducing Manaphy, everybody!"

Manaphy let out a distracted wave. "Yeah but seriously-"

"We've already met her!" Ninjask snapped.

"Wait, really?" Victini asked. "When?"

"That was when you were still er….indisposed," said Audino helpfully. Victini shook his head in puzzlement, quickly taking out the challenge schedule to get himself back on track.

"Professional," said Ninjask scathingly.

"That's one big carnival…" Lucario said as she stared at the park in awe.

"Too bad we won't be able to ride anything," Munchlax said glumly.

"Actually, you will!" Victini responded, earning a series of applause from the campers. "Here's how this challenge will work, one Pokemon in each team will compete in an event usually found at a carnival. These events can range from eating contests to ring toss. While these Pokemon compete, the rest of you are allowed to explore the park to your discretion. All clear?"

"This might be a challenge I'll actually enjoy for once," Shuckle said with a smile.

"Good. First off is the high striker! Discuss amongst yourselves and choose carefully!" The two Pokemon made their way to Victini while the rest of the Pokemon scattered, eager to try out some of the attractions.

"WAIT! Don't you dare leave without finding out where my son is!" Manaphy snapped angrily.

"All right, all right!" Victini said, raising his hands in surrender. "Carnivals are full of lost children, so one of the challenges will be to find Phione. In fact we'll do that first. Any volunteers?"

Tepig smirked. "Should be easy enough. I've always been a good tracker."

"As am I," said Grovyle simply.

"Right then off you go!" Victini said, "Bring back snacks!"

The two darted off, the nimble Grovyle in front. Manaphy threw a concerned look.

"

 **0000**

" **Maybe Victini was serious about him wanting to change," Ampharos said as he looked at the confessional. "Either way, this was sure nice of him to do. Now I'll be able to hang out with Zorua with no problems whatsoever."**

 **0000**

"Hey so Zorua, I was thinking the two of us could….maybe walk around the fair together?" Ampharos asked awkwardly.

Zorua smiled wryly. "Alright."

Ninjask on the other hand, was trying to get everyone to focus. "Listen, I don't think I need to tell you guys this, but we can't afford to lose this challenge! Who should we pick for the high striker!"

"Aww calm down," said Munchlax. "We can still relax and enjoy the carnival."

"After the challenge!" Ninjask growled. "Just...ugh Swampert?"

"Yes, I should be strong enough," the calm water type said quietly.

Swampert stepped up to the high striker and picked up the hammer in his hand. Charizard was talking to Lucario, but Ivysaur anxiously tapped him on the back, pointing to Swampert.

"Shit, that's not good," he growled. "Lucario, can you match his strength?"

"Doubtful, unless I use my mega evolution," Lucario said with enthusiasm. "But Swampert too has a mega evolution and it will likely exceed mine in strength."

"The same goes for me," Charizard muttered. "Looks like we're screwed here."

"Then make the mosteth out of it I say!" Donphan trumpeted. "Pick thy teammate Carbink, who's humble frame would be better suited if none of our comrades-in arms- can hold against sir Swampert's overpowering might!'

Charizard blinked, before glancing at Slowking, who was reading a book. "Translation?"

"He's saying we should pick Carbink because none of us can stand up to Swampert, so it would be best to simply to save our stronger players for later. Carbink is a waste of an opponent."

"That's...not a bad idea," Said Charizard with grudging respect.

"I'm over here you know," Carbink pouted.

"Whatever, just do it!" Zorua snarled, rolling her eyes.

 **0000**

" **What they're saying is true, but it still hurts a bit," Carbink stated. "However, they won't be the ones with a million Poke' by the end of the summer!"**

 **0000**

As Swampert and Carbink moved to the high striker, the Pokemon began to scatter into small groups to explore the carnival. Scrafty walked up to Audino, but unlike Ampharos he didn't look nervous at all.

"Hey Audino! Want to see if we can get something to eat around the fair?" He asked, ignoring Ninjask's dirty look.

Audino looked astonished. "As….as a date?"

Scrafty grinned. "Is that okay?"

Audino smiled widely. "No, that would be lovely!"

 **0000**

 **Audino clapped her hands in the confessional. "Wonderful!"**

 **She coughed. "Excuse me, that was rather extreme."**

 **0000**

Bidoof strummed his banjo, giving Umbreon a wink. "Well here's an idea! How's about you an' I have a good ol' shindig!"

Umbreon raised an eyebrow. "You're still going to do this?"

"Well sure! Th' two of us are gonna be the best of friends, won' we?"

Umbreon sighed. "Why not, let's just go."

Meanwhile, a few campers gathered around the High Striker to watch the first challenge. Swampert spun the hammer in his hands, focusing his power.

Ivysaur gave Carbink a look of pity. "You are SO screwed." Carbink simply gulped as Swampert swung down his hammer with all of his might, the pointer easily hitting the top and causing the ringer to sound.

"Sylveon….honey, you're drooling," Audino said in concern.

"Look at his muscles," the fairy type said dreamily. "I could grill a steak on that…

Swampert nodded in approval at his score, handing the hammer to Carbink.

Victini looked at his watch. "Let's just get this over with Carbink, we're on a schedule-huh?"

Carbink was floating higher and higher into the air, earning a look of puzzlement from most of the campers.

"What….the hell is HE doing?" Manaphy asked.

To everyone's surprise, it was Gallade who answered, leaning against a tent. "He's trying to gain momentum by falling down from higher above."

"What? That CAN'T be allowed!" Ninjask growled, but Victini looked thoughtful.

"There's technically no rule against it...I guess this is allowed!"

Ninjask snorted. "Of course YOU'D say that. You're about as professional as Robin Williams-"

Victini blinked. "Well that's not THAT bad. In fact I'd almost say it's a compli-"

"-In ..."

Victini glared at Ninjask. "Yeah, well at least I don't have like….three weeks to live!"

Ninjask snorted. "Believe me pal, if I were you, three weeks to live would be a blessing, not a curse."

Manaphy gave him a strange look. "You know, you remind me of a friend."

"Oh really?" Ninjask drawled.

"Yes…..he's much more subdued and subtle, but you definitely remind me of-"

"OH WELL LOOK AT THE TIME! SECOND CHALLENGE, BEGIN!" Victini said loudly and obviously.

"But Victini, Carbink hasn't even-" Ivysaur started, but Victini was already flying off and dragging Manaphy with him. Ivysaur glanced up to where Carbink was floating.

"Whoa...he's really going high!"

0000

"Whack-a-Drilbur is simple!" Said Victini to a determined Donphan and Scrafty. "Just hammer as many of them as possible when they come up! The one who hits the most wins!"

Scrafty smirked. "Well this should be fun-"

"NO IT WILL NOT! IT IS A HORRIBLE GAME DESIGNED BY AN EVIL WITCH, DESTINED TO FAIL AGAINST THESE HORRIBLE RODENTS CRAFTED BY GIRATINA HIMSELF!" Donphan roared.

"...Holy shit he's insane," Scrafty said, backing away slowly.

"Look at that passion," Sylveon said, blushing. "And that long majestic trunk…."

Lucario's eyes widened in alarm. "DONPHAN? I can get Gallade and Swampert, but Donphan is something else entirely."

"Hey I can't help it!" Sylveon said indignantly. "As an Eevee I was prepubescent! When I evolved I shot straight through puberty, and now my hormones are DRIVING ME CRAZY!"

Lucario folded her arms. "Wow….I think that's the most I've ever seen you speak."

Donphan ignored them, swinging down the mallet and striking the Drilbur left and right. Scrafty didn't even try, instead tossing his own mallet to Donphan, who dual wielded them as his score increased in his blood rage.

Victini grabbed Donphan around the middle, and the pachyderm thrashed in the legendary's grip.

"Dude calm down, you already won!"

"NEVER! I WILL NOT BACK DOWN UNTIL EVERY LAST MOLE IS SLAIN!"

"Someone GET SOME SEDATIVES!" Victini called desperately.

 **0000**

" **Pfft, I wasn't REALLY angry, that was just excellent acting," Donphan explained. He yawned. "Also I feel super mellow now, y'know?"**

 **0000**

Scrafty gave a nervous glance to the now sedated Donphan, tapping Audino on the shoulder. "You wanna get going then?"

Audino nodded. "Yes, I'm quite excited!"

As the two walked off, awkwardly arm in arm, Victini looked over his list. "Hey Ivysaur, how's Carbink?"

Ivysaur called back. "Uh he's still floating up. He doesn't seem like he's going to stop any time soon!"

"I guess there's no rule against it…" Victini said, slightly confused. "Well regardless, next challenge is a pie eating contest! Who's in?"

"Ooh! Me, me!" Munchlax cried loudly. "Pick me!"

"Any volunteers?" Charizard asked awkwardly. "I'm don't really have a sweet tooth myself."

"Um….I'll do it I guess," Said Ivysaur. "I don't know though...Munchlax kind of feels like a difficult opponent to beat…"

"You'll do fine," Charizard muttered. "Now hurry up and get it over with, I'm not a big fan of carnivals."

0000

"Why the hell is he so hard to find?" Grovyle muttered. At this point, she had covered the entire carnival, purposely ignoring the kiddie zone. She didn't exactly love children.

Meanwhile, Tepig had skeeved off the challenge entirely, though his sensitive nose had easily caught Phione's scent. He had face paint on, and was thoroughly enjoying the cotton candy in his hands, the scent leading him into the kiddie Zone….

Grovyle watched him and sighed, beginning to follow, resigned to the fact that if she didn't get going Tepig would probably win…

0000

Munchlax and Ivysaur were led to a table filled with various types of pies, from apple pies to blueberry pies. Munchlax licked his lips while Ivysaur let out a nervous gulp.

"Ok, the rules are simple, just eat as many pies as you can. Whoever eats the most and/or doesn't puke by five minutes wins" Victini exclaimed. "Any questions?"

"Yea, these pies aren't booby trapped right?"

"Uh no…BEGIN!" Victini shouted, causing the two Pokemon to dive into their food.

Ivysaur ate as quickly as he could, but soon stopped and watched Munchlax's frenzy. Apparently the food was delicious, and Munchlax's face was soon covered in it.

"Um….I give up," Ivysaur muttered.

"MORE!" Munchlax squealed, and Victini sighed.

"C'mon man we can't sedate two people in one episode!" Victini called, flying forward and dragging the ravenous bear away.

"You have issues dude," said Ivysaur, cringing slightly.

 **0000**

" **What? It's been like forever since I've had edible food," Munchlax pouted. "Well, that is besides breakfast and those brownies Ivysaur made that one time."**

 **0000**

Umbreon was trying to ignore Bidoof, who was playing the ukulele. The carnival was annoying her more and more by the minute.

" _C'mon Umbreon, don' be blue, jes think about how much I like you…"_

"That's just making me even angrier," Umbreon growled, restraining herself from knocking over the clown in front of her.

" _Now don' be a spoilsport, ya know it'll just give ya warts, just try to think on the positive siiiiiiiiiide!"_

Umbreon raised an eyebrow. "You better not be about to burst into-"

(A/N: Song time!)

Bidoof: _OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOh…_

Umbreon: -Song.

Bidoof: _Sometimes I know times are tough, and other times are jes plain rough, but there's always a solution to be considered!_

 _Jes put a smile on your ol' face an' you won' end up bittered!_

Umbreon: Bidoof, that's not even a word!

Bidoof: _Don'cha see, this is what I mean, you're already full o' frowns!_

 _Jes put a smile on your ol' face an' you won' wanna slug that clown!_

Umbreon: Can someone just automatically eliminate me? Arceus take me, I'm ready!

Bidoof: _Ya don' really need fixin, just a little mixin', and that'll make ya grow as a person!_

 _Say 'llo to strangers and it won't make your. Mood. WORSEN!_

Bidoof: Where the devil did she go?

Umbreon breathed a sigh of relief, ducking under a tent. She didn't hate Bidoof, but she couldn't stand being around him for more than a few minutes.

"Hello, deary! Can I give you, your fortune?" came a voice. It was a creepy looking Mr. Mime, giggling to itself.

"Uh yeah, no," Umbreon snorted, walking off. Infernape, who was behind her, jumped in joy. "Sure, I'll do it!"

 **0000**

 **Infernape was rocking back and forth, curled into fetal position. "The things he SAID to me!"**

 **0000**

"Next challenge is the guess-the-weight of the Pokemon in the crate!" Victini announced. Ninjask and a curious looking Slowking walked up.

"Oh great, a rematch against this guy!" Ninjask said with a smirk. "It's time for my sweet revenge!"

The two looked at the grumpy looking Emboar, cleaning the cage. Ninjask smirked, but Slowking looked thoughtful.

"Pssh, easy. He'll probably be around three hundred and thirty pounds, as typical for an Emboar," Ninjask said with an air of superiority.

"I'd say 1.3 pounds," Slowking said quietly. Ninjask snorted loudly.

"Are you blind? Or do you just want to lose because-"

"Slowking is correct!" Came Victini's voice.

"Wha-THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Ninjask snarled. "YOU BIASED CHEATING-"

The Emboar, finished cleaning the cage, turned around, revealing a Joltik attached to his back. Ninjask's screaming turned into sputters and both Slowking and Emboar were smirking.

"You just got wrecked dude," said Munchlax, playing on his phone.

"Oh shut up you overweight garbage disposal!" Ninjask snapped. Munchlax began to cry.

"Dude, he's sensitive about his weight!" Shuckle hissed. Ninjask began buzzing angrily.

"Who cares? Can't you see we're losing!?"

"Well between you and Munchlax, who actually WON their challenge?" asked Shuckle, his tone light but his meaning clear.

"...I do not care for you right now," Ninjask muttered.

0000

Letting out a small snarl, Gallade attempted to find a location in the park with the least amount of rides. He despised amusement parks and carnivals, making this challenge torture to him. Eventually, he manage to find a tree that was decently far away from the park so he did not have to look at it, but not far enough where he couldn't hear Victini's announcements. Closing his one good eye, he attempted to drift off into a small sleep.

"Come on Gallade, let's go to the amusement park!" A young feminine voice shouted at him, causing his eye to open. It was a voice he recognized all too well. He looked around for the voice, unfortunately finding nothing. He began to claw his eye again…

"Pwease…I've never been to an amusement park before." Gallade immediately shot up, taking a battle stance.

"I've been good, we could stay for only a little, I promise."

"...Where are you?" Gallade asked. For the first time, fear was displayed in his tone.

"Can we go on the merry go round first?" The voice asked.

"Leave me alone."

"Oh oh, can I have some cotton candy? It's been awhile since I've had candy."

"I said go away!" He shouted, his whole body began to tremble.

"Hey! Let's ride the Ferris Wheel! I heard the views up there are _**unforgettable**_! Come on! Please!"

"I. SAID. LEAVE. ME. ALONE!" Gallade hollered before slashing down the tree he was lying on. Waiting for a few minutes to see if the voice was still around, he walked away further from the amusement park, finding another tree to lay down on.

0000

"Where the hell could Phione have gone off to?" Grovyle asked herself as she climbed up a big tree. Her plan was to use the tree to get herself a better view of the park. Unfortunately, she could not find him.

Jumping from tree to tree, she searched around the entire park until she saw a blue figure moving nearby what appeared to be a kissing booth. Jumping off the tree and dashing as fast as she could, she tackled the blue object.

"Gotcha…wait WHAT!?" Grovyle shouted as she inspected the object. Sadly, it was not Pinone but a balloon shaped like him. "Damnit!"

0000

"Okay you two, the next challenge is a house of mirrors maze", Victini announced to both Bidoof and Infernape who were looking at a big tent. "The goal is simple, both of you must attempt to navigate your way through these mirrors and reach the exit. Whoever arrives first wins. Also, no breaking the mirrors unless you are about to die somehow!" Victini explained, earning a groan from Infernape.

"On your mark, get set, GO!" Victini shouted as both Pokemon shot towards the maze, Infernape gaining a quick lead. Unfortunately, both of them immediately slowed down when they reached the mirrors.

"Oh shit, when did I get fat?" Infernape asked himself as he looked into one of the mirrors.

"You're askin' me," Bidoof replied. "I don' remember ever bein' this tall, no siree."

"Gah! Now my heads smaller," Infernape said before frantically patting his head, making sure nothing has happened to it.

By the time he was done, he noticed Bidoof was no longer with him. Believing that Bidoof must have ran off while he was patting his head, Infernape shot forward like a bullet, navigating through the maze with the best of his ability.

"Hey Infernape, where are ya goin?" Bidoof asked, not having moved at all.

Unfortunately, with the speed he was going at and the images being displayed on the mirrors, Infernape began to get dizzy. Ignoring the dizziness, he attempted to keep running, but eventually the dizziness be game too much for him, causing him to pass out. A few moments later, Bidoof, who was right behind Infernape when he took off passed by him while admiring the reflections of himself. Using the mirrors to his advantage, Bidoof easily cleared the maze.

"And surprisingly Bidoof wins!" Victini shouted, earning a 'whoop' from the normal type Pokemon.

0000

Ampharos and Zorua were walking through the carnival, chatting happily and having fun looking around at the strange tents.

"So I was wondering if I could ask you something," Ampharos said, playing a ring toss game as he spoke.

Zorua shrugged, she was in a good mood today. "Okay, shoot."

"Why do uh….you do that thing you do? The illusions? I guess I just want to know….uh why you-"

"Sabotage and hurt other Pokemon?" Zorua asked bluntly, her feelings of happiness completely evaporated. "Are you going to judge me now too?"

"No, I get that it's part of the game. I guess I just wanted to know your...motivations?"

Zorua snorted. "I'm not desperate to win, but….you could say I have a lot to prove, and that's all I'm telling you."

"That's fine," said Ampharos, no longer even pretending to care about the ring toss. "Look you can win however you want, but uh...maybe tone it down a little?"

"Why so you won't be embarrassed about being near someone like me?" She asked miserably.

"No, so I don't have to be the only one to know how great you really are," said Ampharos kindly.

Zorua simply stared at him for a moment.

Ampharos blushed. "Uh I mean, sorry if that was too-"

Zorua practically dove into him, pressing her face to his back. Ampharos thought he heard her sniffling. "You can't say things like that you jerk!"

"Zorua? This is really out of character for you, um are you-"

"I'm supposed to be a tough girl! And then here you come and say things that m-make me mushy inside! Stop making me like you!"

Ampharos smiled slightly. "Sorry Zorua, but that's the one request I can't accept!"

The ring toss game was forgotten completely as he hugged her back, and for once no static electricity zapped anyone.

 **0000**

 **Zorua was slapping herself, but she couldn't conceal her big smile. "Ugh, c'mon that was like the cheesiest thing ever! WHY AM I SMILING!"**

 **She couldn't help but giggle a little, before looking horrified.**

 **0000**

"Whoa, is Zorua crying?" Ivysaur asked to Donphan, astounded.

"Incredible! He has managed to tame the wicked beast!" Donphan trumpeted.

Umbreon sighed. "We need to put you on a limit."

"Next challenge is the Dunk Tank!" Victini said. "Pick which Pokemon will be competing!"

"Eh, whatever I'll do it," said Umbreon, getting up. "I'd rather just get this over with."

"Hey, I'll go against her!" Ampharos said as well, running over as Zorua sat down where Umbreon was a moment ago.

0000

Victini led the two of them to two separate dunk tanks, where a gloomy pair of Sunkern interns were sitting. Victini handed them a bucket of balls each, challenging them to hit the target and knock the interns in the water.

Umbreon grimaced. Being quadropod, she was definitely at a disadvantage as she had to use a paw to throw instead of an arm. Still...Ampharos WAS clumsy.

"You got this Amphy!" Zorua cheered.

Donphan looked stunned. "Did you just address him with an affectionate nickname?"

Zorua growled. "Can it pachyderm, or YOUR nickname won't be so affectionate!"

Umbreon threw a ball as hard as she could, but it fell a bit short. She grumbled in frustration. The Sunkern she was aiming at laughed.

"Someone has terrible aim!"

"Tch, well it's not like Ampharos will ever-"

Ding!

Ampharos whooped as the ball hit the target, plunging the Sunkern he was facing into the water. Ampharos ran back, high fiving Donphan as Victini announced him as the winner.

"Ha ha, look who's wrong!" The Sunkern said meanly. Umbreon stared at him for a moment before walking forward and simply punching the target and knocking the Sunkern into the water.

Umbreon smirked. "Losing isn't so bad after all."

Victini looked over his list, before smirking. "Next challenge is a bit of clown dressup. Whoever makes us laugh more wins!"

Ninjask snorted. "Easy enough, we'll just have Shuckle or-"

"Not so fast Doodlebug, this time I decide who goes. And I just happen to pick….Gallade and Charizard."

Scrafty began snickering, and Munchlax and Shuckle simply laughed out loud. Charizard's glare would kill if looks could do so, but Gallade simply look exasperated.

"Must I?" He muttered. "I fail to see the humor in this context."

"Yeah because you wouldn't get a joke if it decked you in shnozz," Ninjask drawled, though he was trying not to laugh.

"Me and Hariyama will judge, so you better start applying makeup," Victini said before teleporting away, leaving behind two very annoyed Pokemon.

"Let's just get this over with," Charizard growled before flying towards the changing rooms. Letting out a small snarl, Gallade shortly followed suit.

0000

"Ok… What would I look funny in…" Charizard muttered to himself as he dug around several boxes filled with wardrobe. While this was a rather simple challenge, Charizard was a rather big and scary looking Pokemon. If he put on the wrong articles of clothing, he would look like one of those clowns from a horror movie.

"Hey! Charizard!" Ivysaur shouted, causing the fire type Pokemon to look at him.

"What?"

"Do you need help with the challenge?"

"I guess help would be nice…" Charizard muttered. "To be honest, this challenge isn't my forte."

"Perfect! HEY EVERYONE! COME ON IN!" Ivysaur shouted, his eyes glowing as several Pokemon rushed towards Charizard, each holding several makeup equipment.

"Gah! Who are they?" Charizard asked while each of the Pokemon bombarded him with items.

"These are my makeup crew" Ivysaur said with a smile. "Well…they're my dad's but they also work for me. If you want to look like something or get prettied up, then these are the best Pokemon for the job. Now hold still. You'll ruin the application process."

"Easier…said than…done" Charizard said in between grunts. "These guys…are a lot rougher… than they look…"

0000

While Charizard was being attacked by Ivysaur's dress team, Gallade was shuffling through several boxes, trying to find something which could be used for the challenge. Unfortunately, all he found were blush, a red clown nose, and a rainbow colored Afro. He did manage to find fake blood, but he decided not to use it unless there were no other options.

Tossing random objects to the side, Gallade eventually came across a small skull which looked very realistic. Shrugging his shoulders, he tossed it to the side before moving on to the next set of boxes.

0000

"So, who do you think is going to win?" Audino asked Scrafty. The two of them, as well as Sylveon were seated near a small stage where the clown off will take place.

"Probably Charizard" Scrafty said with a smirk. "He has that 'Barney the Tyranitar' look about him."

"I guess so," Audio said before letting out a soft giggle.

"But Gallade also has a rather skinny body" Sylveon stated.

"Yea, but he has scythes and an eye patch," Scrafty responded. "Unless he decides to remove the patch, I don't see him winning."

"I'll bet you five Poke' that Gallade will win," Shuckle told Munchlax, the two of them sitting on the opposite side of the trio.

"You're on!" Munchlax responded. After what seemed like an hour, Victini and Haryana eventually appeared and took their seats.

"Ok, who's ready for some funny stuff!" Victini asked with a chuckle. Barely anyone could contain their snickers.

"Alrighty then, first up is…Charizard!" Victini shouted. A few seconds later, Charizard reluctantly flew towards the judges. The fire type Pokemon was painted a light shade of purple with his wings painted green. He had a rainbow Afro and a rainbow colored Afro on. The top stomach was painted in such a way to make it look bigger than it was. Lastly, he had green and yellow striped suspenders on.

"See…what did I tell you! He totally has that Barney look…" Scrafty said between snickers before everyone burst out laughing.

"Must resist the urge to hurt them…" Charizard snarled as the laughter continued.

"Now that's funny!" Munchlax exclaimed.

"Indeed it is!" Victini agreed, trying to control himself. "Well let's see if Gallade can top that." As soon as he said that, everyone immediately stopped laughing as Gallade nonchalantly made his way towards the judges. Audino shot behind Scrafty as Shuckle hid inside his shell. Sylveon let out a high pitched scream before collapsing.

"…What?" Gallade asked.

"Dude! Clowns are supposed to be funny" Munchlax said before shuddering. "You look like you came out of a horror movie!" Gallade curiously looked at himself, trying to find out what was wrong with his outfit. Like Charizard, he had a rainbow colored Afro but instead of a rainbow colored nose, he had a red clown nose. He had pure white blush on his face. However, he had fake blood all over himself, including his arms and eye patch, making it seem like he just murdered someone.

"They ran out of red blush" Gallade grunted. "So I just used the next best thing."

"I'm pretty sure fake blood isn't even close to 'the next best thing,'" Ninjask deadpanned.

"…He's right" Victini stated. "With that, Charizard wins without a doubt."

"Shit!" Shuckle said before handing Munchlax his money.

 **0000**

 **Munchlax raised an arm in victory. "Some good pie AND I get five bucks? Best day ever!"**

 **0000**

Grovyle shuddered a little as she moved through the kids zone. She HATED kids, but she continued to bear it as she called Phione's name. Manaphy had come up to her several times in almost a panic, and she didn't want the legendary to beat her up.

Suddenly she turned towards the sound of screaming children. Someone was knocking baby Pokemon over the edge of a jungle gym, completely and indiscriminately causing a panic.

"Gee," Grovyle said sarcastically under her breath. "I wonder who THAT could be?"

Sprinting forward, she managed to catch a Pichu before he hit the ground. The grass type glared at Tepig, who was kicking a Smoochum down a slide.

"G'day Grovyle! Lovely day for a picnic!"

"Tepig what the hell are you doing?" Grovyle shouted. "Why are you beating up kids?"

"Well I thought it would be obvious that I was searching for that Phione bloke, is that not what you were doing?" Tepig asked.

"Well...yes but I'm not-THERE HE IS!" Grovyle said sharply, pointing to another slide, where Phione looked like he was having the time of his life.

"I got the little ankle biter," Tepig grunted, sliding down after Phione, arms outstretched.

Grovyle suddenly kicked him in the head, knocking Tepig off the slide and into the ball pit as Phione continued to slide down both happily and obliviously.

The geko sprinted after, but overshot the water type and slid past him, hitting a Teddiursa and bowling the poor thing over.

"Oh uh, sorry little guy I-" Grovyle started, before staring at the Ursaring glaring at her.

"Wait, are you the same-"

Ursaring nodded.

Grovyle tried to turn tail, but Ursaring snatched her by the leaf on top of her head, glaring at her and letting out a roar.

Groyvle blanched. "H-hey it was an accident okay? I'll get your kid whatever he wants to make him feel better."

Ursaring pondered this. Just as he was about to let Grovyle go, Tepig dove out of the ball pit.

"Here I come to save the day!" The pig slammed into the Ursaring in a flame charge, knocking all three into the ball pit.

Ursaring rose, letting out a roar of anger, digging through the ball pit, but nobody was found. Eventually he saw movement, reaching in and pulling out….Phione?

"Oh well hi sir! How can I help you?" Phione asked. Ursaring stared in bewilderment, but Groyvle leaped out of the ball pit and somersaulted over the bear's head, snatching Phione out of his paws.

"Hi Groyvle! Wow did you just save my life?" Phione asked in wonder.

Grovyle snarled. "Dude, I am about to kill you myself after you made me-SHIT!"

Tepig tackled Grovyle, and the two were shoved into the ball pit. Phione gasped.

"Whoa Tepig, you just saved my life!"

Tepig came out, spitting out a ball. "Aha I grabbed Phi….one? Wait if you're over there then what the bloody hell did I grab?"

Grovyle burst out, red as a tomato. "Don't grab my chest, asshole!"

Tepig snorted. "Oh let it go sheila, it's not like you actually have brea-"

Grovyle punched Tepig in the snout, tackling him under the ball pit once more.

"SAY THAT AGAIN, I DARE YOU!"

"WHAT I'M JUST BEING' HONEST!"

 **0000**

 **Phione's eyes were wide. "I've seen some shit."**

 **0000**

"Ok everyone," Victini said as he brought all the Pokemon to a set of two booths. "This challenge could be considered as a little bonus. Basically it's kissing booth. Whatever pair last the longest there wins. Also, Sylveon isn't allowed to compete because uh...she's been making most of the male cast uncomfortable…."

Sylveon pouted at this.

"Anyways, who will be our lucky pair?" Victini asked as everyone began looking around. Some Pokemon like Umbreon, Charizard, and Gallade immediately stepped away from the crowd while the other Pokemon looked at one another awkwardly.

"Me and Audino will go" Scrafty stated before slinging an arm around the normal type, causing some Pokemon to stare at them.

"Really" Audio said with a bit of enthusiasm.

"Yep."

"Ok, we've got one pair already. Who'll be our next pair?" Victini asked.

"Well…it is a challenge," Zorua said before walking up to Ampharos. "Come on Amphy, let's win this."

"W-what?" Ampharos asked, shocked by Zorua's suddenness.

"Seems as if we have our two pairs," Victini said as the four Pokemon got into their positions. "Anyways, once you're ready, you may begin."

"So um Scrafty, when should we omf~" Audino nervously asked before Scrafty kissed her without warning. All her worries were destroyed as she kissed him back, both seemingly enjoying locking lips with one another.

"Ok…" Zora said before letting out a huge breath of air. "Let's do this." She then leaned in, prepared to kiss Ampharos. However, out of sheer nervousness, Ampharos accidentally shocked her, paralyzing her.

"The winners are Scrafty and Audino" Victini said. Ignoring him, Scrafty and Audino continued their makeout session for several minutes.

Umbreon sighed. "There's more sexual tension here then on a college campus. Am I the only single Pokemon ON this show?"

Infernape screeched, running past her. "NO MORE MISTER MIME! NO MORE!"

"...Apparently not," Umbreon said with a sigh.

 **0000**

 **Scrafty grinned. "Ha, she has a dark side after all!"**

 **0000**

 **Audino was blushing furiously. "W-wow…"**

 **0000**

A grumpy Grovyle shoved Phione into a relieved Manaphy. "There's your little brat, now give me my point so I can go home!"

"But Grovyle, the next challenge is about to start! It's time for Bumper cars! Zorua vs Shuckle, and they're already in position!"

"Where's Tepig?" Sylveon asked. Grovyle shrugged.

"Bottom of a well."

Shuckle had a determined look on his face, while Zorua had a cold smirk. This wouldn't be hard.

Victini tapped a button, and suddenly the platform the two bumper cars were on lifted up high in the air.

"Okay you two! Whoever knocks the other off the car wins!"

Shuckle and Zorua both nodded, driving their cars forward, slamming them into each other.

Bidoof and Munchlax cheered as one. "Don't worry Shuckle you can do it!"

Shuckle nodded, breathing slowly. Zorua was tricky, but not physically strong. He on the other hand, could take a hit, but had no physical prowess either. If he wanted to win, he'd need to get Zorua over to him….

Shuckle didn't charge, instead opting to drive along the sidelines. Zorua blinked, a little confused at his lack offensive power. She smirked. A coward eh?

Shuckle smirked as well when Zorua charged forward, taking the bait. He had her right where he wanted her.

Zorua grumbled in annoyance as Shuckle drove away from her. This was getting irritating. Little did she know, Shuckle was slowly leading her closer and closer to the edge….

Zorua pulled the lever, going full speed, but wasn't expecting to see Shuckle suddenly back up. The impact send her reeling, and her bumper car flew off the edge.

Victini clapped his hands. "And Shuckle is the winner! Slick moves from the….bagworm? Shuckle what are you exactly."

"Relieved to be alive," Shuckle said with a sigh. "Can someone get me down from here."

"I got him," Ninjask muttered and flew up, snatching Shuckle and dropping him on the ground.

"I think that ruins the good deed," Lucario muttered.

"Wow….Shuckle is sooooooooooooo smart," Sylveon cooed.

Tepig burst out laughing. "SHUCKLE! YOU'RE MOONING OVER SHUCKLE!? Is there anyone on this island you DON'T want? Oy wait a minute you never fawned over me. Am I not good enough for you!"

"What I don't….umm well…" Sylveon said, but Tepig was on a rant.

"I mean, I'm me! I have a sexy accent! Oh I get it, this is because of the fact that I'm a pre evolution, isn't it? Ya bloody racist!"

"Why do you even care, aren't you dating Minccino?" Sylveon asked.

Victini rubbed his hands together. "Alright, one last challenge left! It's the shooting gallery! Audino and Lucario, you two are the final combatants!"

"Fair enough," said Lucario cracking her knuckles. Audino simply nodded and held out a hand.

"Good luck Lucario, I hope you do well!" Audino said.

Lucario looked a little surprised, but happily shook it. "It sucks that you aren't on our team anymore, Audino. You're a good Pokemon."

Audino beamed at her, and Victini led the two to the shooting gallery. Lucario looked excited.

"Alright, this is a game I can handle!"

Audino gulped. "So, what exactly are we aiming for?"

"Targets!" Victini explained, tapping a button and revealing a booth filled with moving targets. He tossed two shotguns to the competitors, Lucario cocking it with a smirk and Audino stumbling back a bit. "Green is ten points, blue is a hundred, and red is a thousand. Oh and there's one purple target that if you hit-wins the game automatically."

 **0000**

 **Lucario grinned. "I went to the shooting range a lot before coming here, and my aura will definitely give me an advantage. Er...still though, I can't lose...we're too close to the merge and my team will be looking for any excuse they can to boot me off…."**

 **0000**

 **Audino hummed to herself. "I'm….in a little bit of a difficult situation here. I..BELIEVE I can win this one, but...is it worth doing? And,...um Scrafty IS watching,.."**

 **0000**

"FIRE!" Victini shouted, and Lucario quickly began snapping off shots, racking up points quickly. Audino hesitated before taking her own, but it missed the target by several inches.

"HEY! AUDINO WE'RE GONNA LOSE IF YA DON'T GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR!" Ninjask snarled.

"Dude….calm down," said Munchlax, looking concerned.

"Yes, this clearly isn't her forte, let her be," Grovyle said, an eyebrow arched.

"Yeah that's fine and dandy, but that doesn't mean we can afford to lose another challenge! This is getting ridiculous!"

Victini coughed. "Hey guys, we're trying to focus the shot on the actual competing campers, so can ya zip it?"

Ninjask grumbled. "This coming from you? You make a Loudred sound like a Whismur…"

Victini blinked. "Okay I'm gonna ignore that comment-"

"Yeah, because you don't have a retort," Ninjask said smugly.

"Just-"

"Shut up Ninjask?" The bug finished. "It's becoming your line at this point. Pretty much your excuse for not having a good comeback."

"WILL YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE KYOGRE!?" Victini roared.

Everyone went silent. Ninjask looked completely stunned, and Manaphy simply sighed.

Victini coughed. "Let's just...finish the challenge, okay?"

Lucario and Audino were still shooting, but Audino clearly was behind. Lucario had racked up several thousand points, while Audino had a measly ten.

"I….suppose I have no choice," she said with a sigh. She began to glow in a harsh light, a pink barrier forming around her.

"Holy shit!" Grovyle shouted.

"Audino is mega evolving!" Ivysaur squealed.

When the barrier around her exploded, Mega Audino stood straight. Her skin was pale, and she was taller. She now seemed to be wearing some sort of cloak, and her feelers elongated.

"THE ENEMY HAS SOUNDED THE PERIMETER SOLDIER!" Mega Audino roared. "It's time to get our ASSES IN GEAR!"

"Who is she talking to?" Munchlax whispered to Shuckle, who simply stared. Lucario had stopped firing, and simply stared at Mega Audino with an open mouth."

"You'll catch flies like that private!" Mega Audino said to Lucario, cocking her gun. "Objective, eliminate all targets and take victory from those damn Sevipers!"

Mega Audino fired at the shooting range with practiced skill, quickly racking up points. Lucario watched in horrified fascination until Charizard barked at her to keep going. Lucario took shots, but she was completely outclassed by Mega Audino and soon the normal type had eclipsed her score.

Lucario closed her eyes, staying focused. At this rate Mega Audino would blow her out of the water. She needed to think of a plan….That was it!

Lucario stopped firing entirely, instead focusing her aura.

"What are you doing, you're gonna blow our lead!" Zorua snarled.

"MADRE DE DIOS!" Infernape shouted.

"Wait….you speak spanish?" Asked Grovyle.

"No, why would you think that?" Infernape said, mystified.

Finally Lucario's eyes shot open, and focusing her aura, she took a shot a split second before Mega Audino, hitting the purple target.

"And Lucario wins the game by a HAIR!" Victini shouted. "The Sevipers win!"

Mega Audino sighed, reverting to her regular form as the Sevipers swarmed around Lucario.

"That was so close!" Ampharos said.

Lucario smiled weakly. "You're telling me…."

"We lost AGAIN?" Ninjask snapped. "Arceus, this is getting stupid!'

Swampert let out a sigh. "Well I suppose we must decide who to vote off…"

"Hey Carbink!" Ivysaur exclaimed. "You can come down now, we won!"

"Oh thank Arceus, I thought I was going to hit terminal velocity…" the rock type said in relief. "I deserve a big thank you for stalling…'

"Yes, yes of course," Said Slowking, rolling his eyes.

"Where have YOU been?" Charizard asked.

"Napping, carnivals aren't really my scene."

 **0000**

 **Slowking folded his arms. "To be perfectly honest I wasn't napping. I was in fact actually searching for the immunity idol. I figured if-YAAAAAAAAAAWN! Ahem, I thought that a change of scenery might be the answer to where it may be." He looked grimly at the camera. "I was mistaken. It...truly seems as though someone has it. The question is….who?"**

 **0000**

 **Tepig winked. "Time to interrogate that lump of coal, Carbink. Wish me luck, mates!"**

 **0000**

"So, mind telling me what the hell that mega evolution was?" Asked Scrafty with a snicker.

"Oh...umm well it's a long story," Said Audino, blushing.

"Do tell," said Swampert, looking interested. Bidoof nodded enthusiastically.

"Well….I was a field medic and one point...and I sort of took on that persona to get me through the-"

"Wait you were in a BLOODY WAR?" Tepig asked. "Which one?"

"The great Doduo war."

Tepig narrowed his eyes. "Which side?"

"The right one," Audino said cooly.

"Oh that is not an answer!" Tepig said. "This is not over sheila!"

"I'm sure," Audino said. "Anyway, why are you hanging out with us? Don't you have your own team?"

Tepig raised an eyebrow. "What can't I just spend time with me good ol' mates?"

"No," said Umbreon.

"Not happening!" Grovyle said shortly.

"Sure!" Said Bidoof.

"Bidoof I swear-" Umbreon started, but Tepig had already high fived the brown Pokemon.

"Well alright then, enjoy your elimination ceremony!" Tepig said, giving Grovyle a wink.

"Have fun being an asshole!" She shot back.

"Wait, isn't he your friend?" Asked Scrafty, confused.

"Of course he is, what's your point?" Grovyle asked.

" **I'm voting for Audino," Said Grovyle. "Though I wish I could vote for Tepig."**

 **0000**

" **Scrafty," Said Shuckle, determined.**

 **0000**

" **Ninjask, because he won't SHUT UP!" Umbreon snarled. "Eh...Bidoof comes second I guess."**

 **0000**

Victini looked over the votes, looking impassive. "You guys have a chance to visit the carnival after the ceremony, except for the one who was eliminated of course."

None of the campers looked too excited. Each of them were worried that they would go home next.

"The first Poke block goes to….Swampert. Followed by Umbreon and Gallade."

The three snatched up their Pokeblocks, while the others looked wistfully at them.

"Next goes to….Munchlax and Bidoof! And let's complete the trio with Shuckle…"

Munchlax happily scarfed down all three of their Poke blocks, to Shuckle and Bidoof's dismay.

Audino grabbed Scrafty's shoulder, who was sweating a little. Grovyle was biting her lip and Ninjask glared defiantly at Victini.

"Grovyle, you are the last Pokemon who hasn't received any votes. You're safe for the night."

The gecko smirked, tossing her Pokeblock in her hand.

Victini floated over the three remaining. "Ninjask, your leadership hasn't exactly been the greatest, considering you haven't one a single challenge since Minccino left.'

"Oh eat a dick!"

"Audino, you're mega evolution didn't win today, and Scrafty….well who knows who wants you gone?"

The three glanced around at each other nervously as Victini announced the next safe camper.

"Audino, you only received one vote, so you are SAFE!" Victini said happily, and a happy Audino went up, though she casted Scrafty a concerned look.

Scrafty squeezed his stress ball, while Ninjask simply shrugged, though he was shuddering a little…

"The final Pokeblock goes to….." Victini said dramatically. Scrafty began frantically searching for a cigar, while Ninjask muttered to get on with it.

"...Scrafty."

Ninjask's jaw dropped. "What? You assholes voted for me?"

"HHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHH! HE'S GONE, YES! I FINALLY GET SOME PEACE!" Victini roared. Ninjask swore loudly, before being forced into the boat by Hariyama.

"MAKE SURE TO GIVE HIM A BUMPY RIDE!" Victini cackled.

 **0000**

 **Scrafty wiped some sweat off his brow. "THAT was close. So Shuckle and his gang are finally making a move on me, eh? That's fine, I'll just get one of them next challenge anyway."**

 **0000**

 **Audino breathed a sigh of relief. "Some of them were voting off Ninjask, so Scrafty and I decided to as well. Scrafty warned me that he'd be going home alternatively….but I wonder why…."**

 **0000**

 **Swampert folded his arms. "Ninjask has a clever wit, but little else. He ultimately failed when he tried to take on the role of leader and just couldn't stack up to Minccino or even Parasect's reputation. And that was the final nail in his coffin."**

 **0000**

 **Ninjask scowled. "So that's it, eh? I'm going home. Yeah, I don't care. I did my job, and that was to make Victini miserable. Oh and I hope Slowking dies in a hole."**

 **He sighed. "If Tepig wins, that would be cool. He's almost as good as I am, so he deserves some respect. Eh, Slowking as well. So if you're a fan of me, you'll know who can keep carrying the torch."**

 **0000**

And uh..,that's FINALLY the end. This one was kind of hard to do, not gonna lie.

Don'tkillmedontkillmedontkillmedontkillmeeveryonehastogosometimeiknowyoualllovedninjask.

I hoped y'all liked the chapter, and stay tuned next time!

Ninjask: Pssh...review already. Not that any of you guys actually do.


	19. Chapter 19: Ancient History

**Hey guys, DT here and welcome back to another chapter. Sadly, I have nothing I have to say other than that Mr. Bonding from X and Y is easily the creepiest thing in the Pokemon series. Enjoy :-).**

 **Shuckle Master: Sorry about the delay brossiahs. But uh it's here now! Oh and uh the merge is coming soon! Place your bets, who do you think won't make the cut? (Internet cookies to be provided!)**

 **0000**

"Okay, this is way too good to be true," Grovyle muttered, astonished. "We actually are allowed to get MAIL now?"

"Yes…" Hariyama said in his soft voice. "And many of you are receiving at this very moment!"

The campers were milling around the head house, staring at the brand new post office that had been built near Victini's cabin. There were many cubicles with each of the remaining campers names, some with mail already inserted. Ivysaur in particular had several large packages, while poor Scrafty's cubicle was completely empty.

"From loved ones, advertisements, even fan mail. Victini decided he did not want you to suffer," Hariyama explained.

"And there's….no catch?" Asked Carbink, a little skeptical.

"None. Knock yourselves out."

"Sweet," Infernape exclaimed, sprinting over. The others exchanged looks of excitement; they hadn't spoken to their families in months.

Several read letters from home, though Sylveon seemed miffed after reading hers.

"Er...is everything okay?" Audino asked, clutching a care package from home. "You look a little agitated.

"I'm fine…..just um, family drama," Sylveon said through grit teeth.

"Is it something you want to talk about?" Audino asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine, Audino. I just need some time to think," Sylveon muttered, stalking away. Scrafty came over, wrapping an arm around Audino and squeezing his stress ball.

"What's in the box, babe?" He asked with mild interest. Audino looked down, as if just remembering.

"Oh! Just some medical supplies. I've been running low with all of the physical injuries thus far."

Scrafty's eyes widened. "Say there wouldn't happen to be-"

Audino glared at him. "No, Scrafty, I am not letting you get high off any of this!"

Scrafty sighed. "Can't blame a guy for trying. Oh and we're voting for Shuckle tonight, okay?"

Audino gasped. "But why? I've always liked Shuckle and his friends!"

"Yeah well they don't like me," said Scrafty. "The three of them think I'm untrustworthy, or something ridiculous like that."

Audino looked uneasy. "I don't know Scrafty….I'd rather vote off a less friendly Pokemon…like Gallade?"

Scrafty sighed. "Look hon, we don't have too many left on our team, and Shuckle, Munchlax, and Bidoof are the safest option for us. Shuckle seems to be the brains of the group anyway. Besides, everyone has to go some time right?"

Audino sighed. "Yes...I suppose…."

 **0000**

 **Audino frowned unhappily. "I don't like playing this game competitively. Can't we just all have a good time?"**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty rolled his eyes. "I like Audino, but she's too nice for her own good. And heh, my own good. Just don't get in the way doll, and everything will be just peachy."**

 **0000**

"Anything good man?" asked Ampharos to Infernape, who nodded happily. "Look dude! All these neat pictures? I must have a ton of fans!"

"Um….I think those are advertisements," Ampharos said awkwardly, before a hearty cheer turned the two around. Donphan was staring in awe at a beautiful handcrafted sword, gleaming in the sunlight.

"Finally my weapon, Arthur's Tembo, will stay at my side!"

"Arthur's…..what?" Charizard said in confusion. "And uh...do you have a permit for that?"

"Of course! I am a trained swordsman!" Donphan announced, swinging the blade experimentally.

"Sure whatever," said Zorua, sighing. "I'm going to bed anyway, I've had enough of you people today.

"You know if she wasn't saying that, I would be," Umbreon remarked.

"Not so fast! We've got challenge today!" Hariyama announced, causing Zorua to let out a noise between a growl and a scream.

"Wait minute….." Hariyama muttered, looking over the campers. "Where is Slowking?"

"Asleep," Lucario said helpfully. "Like he always is. I'll go get him."

"Much obliged," Hariyama said gruffly as she sprinted away.

"So where's Victini?" Asked Grovyle, folding her arms.

"Yeah, what gives, we haven't seen him at all these past few days," Infernape piped up.

Hariyama hesitated. "Well….host has been going through many changes recently, yes? He has spent lot of time thinking and...er campers will see soon."

Grovyle simply shrugged to Infernape, as Munchlax's eyes suddenly shot up in shock.

"Whoa….Ivysaur...can I have some of that?" He asked breathlessly.

Ivysaur was surrounded by packages of excellently prepared food. He blushed.

"Uh yeah sure, everyone who wants it totally can have it. I can't eat all this myself, ha ha."

Munchlax practically dove into the food as Shuckle and Bidoof giggled.

Lucario finally returned, leading an exhausted Slowking over to the campers, chuckling softly. Hariyama grunted to himself and nodding, leading his campers to their location for the next challenge.

Carbink began to float away, but Tepig suddenly patted him on the back. "Could I have a word with you, mate?"

Carbink blinked. "Uh sure. But you've never talked to me like….ever."

"There's a first time for everything, eh?"

 **0000**

 **Slowking looked exhausted. "I'm a sleepy one to begin with, but Infernape's been screaming in his sleep about a Mr. Mime for the past three days, and I've hardly been able to sleep a wink at all! Honestly, I don't hate the guy, but I'm seriously considering getting him eliminating him next chance I have."**

 **0000**

Tepig waited until he and Carbink were the only two Pokemon left in front of the Post.

"So uh what do you want, man?" Carbink asked awkwardly. Had the pig figured something out…..? It couldn't be, he was a complete moron.

"Just a bit curious about a few possible facts, and I got a few questions for you. You understand."

Carbink gulped. "I-uh, I'm not sure I do."

Tepig winked. "Bull dust! Are you telling me you know nothing about the Mega Evolution Stone scandal?"

Carbink couldn't hide his surprise in time, and Tepig gave a triumphant smirk.

"See? Isn't this quite a bit more fun without all that lying and deceiving? Well, for me anyway? This must be completely festy for you."

Carbink narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Horseshit, mate!" Tepig announced, tipping his hat. "Minccino told me about the C's being' carved on all the beds. Sableye was tryna leave a message on the true culprit, and you obviously know something about it. So let's make this a bit less painful on the two of us, savvy?"

"I-I-" Carbink began stuttering, debating in his mind whether fake tears would ease the pig's suspicions. Perhaps get his sympathy.

"So to be blunt, _were you the mastermind behind all this?"_ Tepig asked, his smile looking more like a grimace.

Carbink thought fast. "Of course not! I-don't know anything about what happened! A-and I was fast asleep the night they were stolen! Besides maybe it was Charizard, or Sableye was trying to mislead us-"

"Hold up," Tepig said, his cocky grin still plastered on his face. "When did I say anything about the mega stones being nicked at night?"

Carbink stared in shock, before he began trembling. For a moment he looked like he was terrified, but soon racuous cackles filled the air. Tepig's smirk changed into one of curiousity.

"So are you a psychopath now, or-?"

"Prove it!" Carbink snarled. "You may have figured me out, but it won't matter because NOBODY will trust you over me. What are you even trying to do, play the hero?"

"No….I'm not trying to play a hero…." Tepig said to himself softly. "But I reckon you're trying to play a villain…"

"What? Getting philosophical on me now?" Carbink drawled.

"Nah," Tepig said, before shoving Carbink into a wall. His grin was back, but now it looked forced. "I told you I'm no hero, but this isn't bloody heroics. This is revenge."

"Revenge for what?" Carbink asked through grit teeth, struggling to break free, but Tepig's grip was like iron.

"Let me give you a bit of friendly advice mate," Tepig announced in a mock cheery voice. "There's quite a bit you can do to a bloke like me. I can take a lot, you know? But heh... when you mess with my girl? Then we have some problems."

Carbink glared at him. "Why? What are you going to do, eliminate me?"

Tepig snorted. "I told you I'm not a hero. Believe me, when you ARE finally eliminated?"

He leaned in close, leering into Carbink's eyes. "It'll be be a fucking blessing for you."

Tepig let go, and Carbink dropped down, gasping for air. Tepig tipped his hat to the floating rock and walked away, leaving Carbink seething behind him.

 **0000**

 **"** **Okay, forget Zorua!" Carbink growled. "Tepig HAS to go!"**

 **0000**

As they arrived at the beach, they were surprised to see an exhausted looking Victini yawning loudly as he approached them.

"Hey campers….what's going on here?" Victini asked.

"Um….the challenge that's scheduled today…" Ivysaur said in confusion.

"Shit…..that's today?" The legendary asked, completely mystified.

"YOU were the one who called us down here," Charizard grumbled.

"Oh well….sorry I guess. Today's challenge is a Scavenger hunt!" Victini announced, seemingly waking up.

"A scavenger hunt?" Audino asked, curious.

"Yep. Today, you'll be looking for items based on your team mascots. Locations vary all around the island! Like, anywhere!"

"You mean as in my team will look for Seviper related items while the Zangooses will look for Zangoose related items?" Charizard asked.

"…I do not fully understand," Slowking stated before letting out a loud yawn. "Are you going to have us search for body parts of the Pokemon? Neither Sevipers nor Zangoose have items that primarily symbolize them."

"What?! No!" Victini shouted. "Not only would that be disgusting, but that would be illegal. Since, as Slowking pointed out, there are no items specifically connected to the two Pokemon, we'll be using items that work best when used with their specific types. For the Sevipers, you'll be searching for a poison barb, a poison gem, and a poison plate. The Zangoose will search for a silk scarf, a normal gem, and a Pink Bow."

"This seems pretty simple," Lucario said slowly. "I feel as though this challenge will be over quickly…."

Victini wagged a finger. "Don't be so sure. They may not be too difficult to find, but we have a few er….surprises waiting for you."

Umbreon sighed. "I'm not sure if it qualifies as a surprise if it happens every challenge."

"Will we get any clues as to where the items are?" Carbink asked. "I mean, they're about the same size as the idol, and no one has found it so far."

"Trust me, these things will be much easier to find. NOW GET MOVING!" Victini shouted, causing of the Zangoose to dash off in random directions. The Sevipers were about to do the same, but we're stopped by Charizard who wanted to make a plan for finding said items.

 **0000**

 **"** **So we all darted off in random directions…" Umbreon sighed. "This challenge is going to be very fun…"**

 **0000**

"So what's the plan big guy?" Infernape asked impatiently.

"The plan's simple," Charizard stated. "We each split up into teams of two. We don't know much about this challenge other than that we have to bring back certain items. Whether or not the items are guarded by traps or other Pokemon is also unknown. If a group does run into one of the above, the second Pokemon could help them out. Any questions?"

"I think we're good," Lucario responded.

"Then let's pair up," Charizard said gruffly. "I suppose I'll go with you, Ivysaur. We've worked well in the past, right?"

Ivysaur stared at him, tearing up.

"Don't you dare cry," Charizard growled.

Ivysaur sniffed, wiping an eye with his vine. "S-sorry man, I'm just so happy!"

Charizard groaned.

Ampharos quickly wrapped an arm around Zorua, who blushed but snuggled up to him.

Donphan sighed. "It sucketh to be friend zoneth."

"Yo dude, you can just come with me, ha ha," Infernape exclaimed, slapping him on the back. Donphan grinned, bradishing his sword.

"Oy Carbink, care to join me?" Tepig asked with a roguish grin. Carbink's eyes went wide, and flew behind a confused Lucario in fear.

Slowing sighed. "Just come with me Tepig." He let out a yawn, and Tepig shrugged.

"Good, Charizard said grimly. "Let's win for the umpteenth time in a row."

0000

"I think we should have stayed together…" Audino said as she and Scrafty walked through one the island's various forests. They were on the lookout for the items they had to bring back to Victini. Unfortunately, they have had no luck so far.

"Meh," Scrafty shrugged. "To be honest, I'm glad we're alone."

"And why's that?" Audino curiously asked.

"'Cause to be honest, I'm not really close to anyone other than you. Plus, I think the more Pokemon we have in a group, the harder it'll be to get the items."

"I guess."

0000

Letting out a huge grunt, Swampert proceeded to pick up an enormous rock, curious to see if any of the artifacts were there. However, unfortunately they were not, causing the water type Pokemon to let out a sigh. Like most of his teammates, he was unable to find any of the items they needed. Shrugging his shoulders, he continued his search until he approached a small cave. Keeping his eyes out for anything dangerous, Swampert slowly entered the cave. Once inside, he began searching the cave for any of the items. Tossing and turning several rocks, he eventually managed to find the Pink Ribbon, much to his relief.

"I believe I am done here," Swampert said as he began to exit the cave. However, once he did, a giant bolt of lightning struck him. Though it did not hurt Swampert since he was a ground type, it certainly got his attention. Looking behind him, he was surprised to see a very familiar Pokemon, one of the Pokemon he'd LEAST like to see again on the island.

"Miss me?" The Pokemon asked with a growl.

"Electivire?" Swampert asked, confused as to why his ex-teammate was on the island. He was folding his arms, and looked far more powerful than when they had last met. "Were you not eliminated?"

"Of course I was," Electivire told him. "I'm only here because your dumb host needed some assistance with this challenge. I'm not allowed to let you leave with that item, so this means I get to have my revenge for when you humiliated me on national TV."

"You are aware that said humiliation was brought upon yourself," Swampert said, getting into a fighting stance.

"You don't think I've realized that!" Electivire snarled, before calming down. "Heh….Do you know how many times I've watched that episode? How many times I've seen you defeat me? Countless TIMES!"

Swampert's eyes widened. "What….what are you-?"

"At first...I wanted revenge. Against you, against my team…..but soon I realized there was only one thing I truly desired. And that's you."

Swampert was stunned. Electivire was looking at him with a strange light in his eyes...something he couldn't understand.

"You...you are amazing, Swampert," Electivire gushed. "You're power….and wisdom… you are fascinating. I've thought about nothing but you since I was eliminated. Training, studying your battle style, training, learning everything about you…..I will defeat you...I HAVE to defeat you."

Swampert breathed a sigh of relief. Finally something he could understand; fighting. "You are at quite the disadvantage in his fight, you know."

"So no moves on either sides," Electivire growled. "Just hand to hand."

"Very well then," Swampert said with a nod, raising his fists.

Electivire grinned. "Don't make me wait any longer."

0000

"So, um, Zorua…" Ampharos nervously said as he and the dark type Pokemon began searching around Gallade's hamlet. The two of them have stumbled upon the psychic type's resting quarters while trying to search for the items. Though they didn't not pay any attention to it at first, Zorua eventually decided to snoop around, curious to see if one of their items was around. Sure it was a small chance Victini actually put one here, but it was worth a shot. "About the carnival…"

"Listen, I said it was fine!" Zorua said, a bit irritated. "I don't know how many more times I have to say it before you understand."

"Sorry…ow!" Ampharos shouted, noticing that he cut his hand somehow while digging through Gallade's hamlet.

"Are you okay!?" Zorua gasped.

Taking a quick glance inside, Ampharos noticed a pointy purple gem was underneath Gallade's pillow. Taking it, he immediately showed Zorua.

"Is this it?" He asked. Upon looking at the gem, Zorua's eyes lit up.

"Yes! That is!" She excitedly said. "Let's hurry back to Victini." As the two began running back to the campsite, they were hit by a razor leaf attack, causing them to immediately stop running. Less than a second afterwards, a Pokemon leaped in front of them, a Pokemon Ampharos immediately recognized.

"Parasect? I thought you were eliminated!" Ampharos said.

"Don't bring that up", Parasect said with a pout. "I'm only here because Victini's paying some of us a decent amount of cash to stop you from bringing the items back to him."

"Though….." Parasect thought to himself. "It would be splendiferous if I were to achieve vengeance on my mortal enemy."

"Of course" Zorua said, rolling her eyes. "And here I thought you'd be happy to see me."

"Not you! HIM!" Parasect exclaimed. "His 'laid back attitude' really RUFFLES MY MUSHROOM!"

"Oh….? I thought it would be because of that whole mega evolution thing…." Ampharos admitted.

Parasect glared at him.

"I….should shut up, shouldn't I?" Ampharos said with a sigh.

"Now face the power of the mighty Parasect!" The bug type Pokemon said before firing another razor leaf at them. Grabbing Zoura, Ampharos immediately jumped to the side before firing a powerful thunderbolt at Parasect, nailing its target.

"Gah! Hit dead on! It should have been impossible considering the wind and spacing between us" Parasect shouted to himself before launching himself forward. "Time to take more physical measures." Crossing his claws, he dashed towards Ampharos, ready to hit the electric type Pokemon with an X-scizor. Ampharos gulped, ready to meet him head on as Zorua seemed to melt into the trees.

Ampharos charged up a thunder punch, but Parasect managed to scuttle to the side. "NYEHEHEHHEEHA! You're punches are at least 0.5 seconds too slow!"

Leaping forward, he pinched his claws down onto Ampharos' stubby arms. Ampharos winced in pain, before smirking. Parasect hissed in pain as a static current ran through his body, and Ampharos kicked him away. He charged forwards, but Parasect shook his mushroom, releasing a spore attack that froze the shaved sheep in his tracks.

Ampharos collapsed, snoring loudly. Parasect laughed to himself in victory, but completely forgot about Zorua as she materialized into view, throwing a dark infused fisted between his eyes.

Parasect whimpered, before collapsing on his side. Zorua grinned. "Cloak and dagger, bitch!"

She stared at a still sleeping Ampharos. "I'm going to have to drag him back, aren't I?...shit."

0000

Bidoof wheeled Shuckle's wagon through the game shack, Munchlax enthusiastically leading them through.

"Are you sure something will be here?" Shuckle asked, looking around awkwardly. "I kinda assumed the artifacts would be outside."

"Oh, yeah they're here for sure," Said Munchlax, not really paying much attention to his friend's words as he clicked on the remote, turning on the TV.

"Oooh, Dancin' with the Starmie!" Bidoof explained. "I heard all 'bout this show!"

"But guys...shouldn't we-?" Shuckle started, but the two were already too far gone.

"Oh what the hell," Shuckle said. "Anybody got any popcorn?"

0000

Donphan sighed. "It's impossible! How will we ever find such an elusive item? We've been searching for fortnights!"

Whimsicott rolled her eyes. "Are you guys serious? I'm right in front of you! You can't bring me back into a chapter to rehash the same joke!"

"But dude, it isn't night right now!" Infernape exclaimed.

"It's an exaggeration," Donphan explained. "A fortnight is an extensive amount of time!"

"Oh…" Infernape said, in realization.

"This isn't even worth it!" Whimsicott growled. "I could have been an interesting and unique character, but instead I become the butt of an overused joke! This isn't even realistic anymore!"

"Hey Donphan, can you really use that sword?" Infernape asked, pointing to the intimidating looking weapon wrapped around his trunk.

"But of course! For you see, a knight must go through rigorous training over the course of years, sharpening his abilities and testing his resolve!"

Infernape gasped. "Whoa, really?"

"Nah, I took an online course."

"Hey Infernape! I'd call you as dumbass, but that would be an insult to donkeys!" Whimsicott shouted.

"In fact," Donphan said, swinging his sword around. "This blade is made from the body of a Steelix. It is impossible to break, and it is sharper than any metal."

"That's not even real! It's a stage prop!" Whimsicott snarled. "It even says 'Made in Kanto' on the hilt!"

Infernape rubbed his hands together. "That's so cool! Do you think I could try using it?"

"Well I think you'd need a license or permit or something but uh...as long as nobody is around…?" Donphan thought to himself.

"Shakespearow was a shit writer!" Whimsicott snarled.

"WHO SAID THAT?" Donphan roared.

"FINALLY!" Whimsicott said in exasperation.

 **0000**

 **"** **Wait what was her name again?" Infernape asked himself. "Lilligant?"**

 **0000**

"Lopunny, is that you?" Lucario gasped. Lopunny squealed in response and pulled her into a hug. Carbink noticed the poison plate behind them and began to float towards it slowly and carefully. Lopunny apparently hadn't noticed.

"So how have you been?" Lucario asked. "What's it like after elimination?"

Lopunny shrugged. "Pretty boring to be completely honest. I sort of miss being on the show, which was strange considering how much I complained. But enough about me, you're still going strong!"

Lucario blushed. "I suppose. I'm trying my best anyway. So why are you here anyway?"

"Well…..Victini brought some of us back to guard the artifacts from you guys. Sorry in advance, but this could get rough."

Suddenly she jumped high in the air, landing between the poison plate and Carbink, who was attempting to dive for it. She delivered a roundhouse kick, sending him flying backwards. He crashed into a tree.

Lucario gasped, before getting into a fighting stance. "So how did you treat Sableye once he was eliminated?"

Lopunny grinned. "Oh Minccino and I beat him up. It was fun. But uh I'm still looking for the true mastermind behind that. I can't wait to kick their sorry ass for framing me."

Carbink groaned in pain. "The irony is not lost on me."

Lucario sighed. "I love you Lopunny, but I need to get that item."

Lopunny winked. "No offense taken, and I'm not holding back either."

The two sprinted forwards, both aiming kicks…

0000

Scrafty and Audino gasped in surprise. The item was right in plain sight.

"This looks way too easy," Scrafty muttered. "And didn't Victini say something about a challenge of some sort?"

Audino shrugged. "I suppose I'll run as fast as I can through. You can be backup if something goes wrong…."

Scrafty nodded, and Audino sprinted over to where the silk scarf was, quickly gathering it into her hands.

"That's funny….There dosen't seem to be a challenge in this…."

Scrafty shrugged, before taking two steps forward.

And was immediately dive bombed by Gliscor.

Audino gasped as Gliscor slammed Scrafty into a wall, grinning. "Remember me?"

"Believe me, I wish I could forget you!" Scrafty snarled, punching him in the face. Gliscor backflipped, facing the two of them. Audino looked shocked, before Gliscor jerked his head to her.

"I don't have any quarrel with you. Scrafty did some shit to me, and I'm here to settle the score."

"Scrafty….what does he mean?" Audino asked in a whisper….

"Nothing!" Scrafty snarled. "Just stay out of this, honey! Take the silk scarf and I'll hold him off."

"But I-I…."

"Now, Audino!" Scrafty exclaimed.

Audino gave him a fearful look before sprinting off in the other direction. Gliscor snorted.

"Alright asshole, we both know what you did to me, so there's no need for words. Just a fight between the two of us."

"I notice you don't have that little trinket with you," Scrafty taunted. "Without that, you're about as good at dodging as Pidgey is at swordfighting."

Gliscor rolled his eyes. "Uh yeah...I'm not good with one liners so let's just get to the point."

He launched a stone edge at Scrafty, who jerked around as the rocks hit his body. He landed on his hands and feet, growling at Gliscor, who was smirking in response.

"No words left to fail, eh?" Gliscor muttered. Scrafty simply lunged for him, only for Gliscor's tail to slap him to the side.

"Let's get started then." Gliscor glided towards Scrafty, who was struggling to his feet…

0000

"You ever feel like you're missin' anythin' really important?" Bidoof asked Munchlax, who shrugged.

"Uh sometimes I guess. Usually whenever I get that feeling I say something funny to keep the tone light."

0000

Electivire and Swampert were wrestling, the two of them struggling to overpower the other. Electivire grinned. "This is going to be fun!"

"Not likely," Swampert rumbled, punching Electivire in the jaw. He stumbled back, rubbing his mouth before swinging down a karate chop. Swampert deflected it, aiming another punch for Electivire's stomach, missing and allowing the electric type to counterattack with a kick to Swampert's side.

The mudfish gained balance, falling back a bit to gain some distance. Electivire didn't seem in a hurry, simply stalking towards him and raising his arms in an offensive stance.

Swampert struck, but Electivire was prepared, ducking under Swampert's strike and shoving a fist into Swampert's stomach. Swampert didn't flinch, pushing Electivire away, but when he tried to follow up Electivire's wires shot out, slapping him across the face.

Swampert groaned under his breath. Electivire smirked, beckoning him forwards. Swampert closed a fist, but Electivire wrapped a wire around Swampert's arm and jerked it, forcing him to punch himself in the face.

Electivire delivered a swift kick to Swampert's stomach, throwing him to the ground. Electivire threw his head back and laughed, before pinning him down with his wires wrapped around Swampert's neck.

"This is pretty ironic isn't it? I found out your weakness!" Electivire said with a chuckle. "All that talk with Gallade being prideful, and you're even worse than he is!"

Swampert tried to break free, but Electivire's grip was too tight. "The best thing is, you could have beaten me easily! One ground type moves and I'd be done. But you were too prideful to take the easy win for your team, you hypocrite! You say I brought my downfall down on myself, but so did you!"

Swampert's eyes widened, before letting out a sad sigh. "You're right, Electivire. And I'm sorry to take your victory from right under your nose, but I need to swallow my pride."

Electivire's grin faded. "What-?"

Swampert slammed his fist on the ground, creating an earthquake that threw Electivire off of him and knocked him unconscious immediately. Swampert snatched up his item and took a deep breath, before giving a sad smile to his opponent.

"Thank you, Electivire. You truly did teach me more about myself."

0000

Gallade was concentrating his mind, trying to determine where the item could possibly be before beingstruck by a powerful focus blast. Glancing at where the attack came from, he saw Machamp smirking at him. Not wasting any time questioning why Machamp, an eliminated contestant was back on the island, Gallade threw a series of night slashes, nailing his target perfectly. Getting up, Machamp tried to throw a dynamic punch, only for it to be blocked by another one of Gallade's night slashes (which caused their fists to collide).

"You're as tough as I thought," Machamp said, throwing a series of dynamic punches as Gallade, who in turn blocked all of them with another set of night slashes. "I think I'm going to enjoy this."

"You're the surprise Victini was talking about then," Gallade said before pushing the fighting type Pokemon away from him. "Am I wrong?"

"Dead on," Machamp grunted, flexing his muscles. "Victini's offering some of us eliminated contestants a good amount of money to prevent you from getting the required items for this challenge, but I'm just looking for a good fight. I never got to fight you, and you seem to be pretty tough."

"…I assume you attacked me due to item being relatively close by…"

"Yep!" Machamp said before launching another stone edge at Gallade, who launched a psycho cut in response. The two projectiles clashed together, creating a big explosion powerful enough to knock both fighters off their feet. When both got up, they wasted no time, Machamp immediately throwing more dynamic punches at Gallade who blocked all of them with a series of night slashes.

"That was a very dumb move on your part!" Gallade stated, preparing to block anything Machamp tried throwing at him.

"Haha! We'll see!"

0000

Umbreon leaned back against the cabin porch, listening to the music coming from her headphones. She was humming to herself when Sylveon slumped down next to her.

"Hey," She said without looking at her. Sylveon sighed.

"Hi Umbreon."

The two were silent for a while, the only noise coming from Umbreon's headphones.

"So um….what are you listening to?" Sylveon asked awkwardly.

"Leafgreen Day," she said.

"Oh….hey Umbreon, do you ever wish you were dead?" Sylveon asked.

"No," Umbreon said flatly. "I wish everybody else was dead, so I wouldn't have to share my world with anybody else."

Sylveon gulped. "Um….."

"Oh...you're okay though," Umbreon said with a shrug.

"Um thanks I guess?" Sylveon said.

Umbreon sighed, taking off her headphones. "All right spill. What's the matter with you this time?"

Sylveon sighed. "I don't know, family issues. All my siblings were better than me at everything, and because I was the youngest in my family I was kind of ignored a lot."

Umbreon raised an eyebrow. "And why does this bother you right now of all times?"

Sylveon tossed her the letter her family had sent her. Umbreon chuckled to herself.

"Wow, this is more passive aggressive then a high school cheerleading squad."

"I know, right!" Sylveon exclaimed. "And every time I feel like I accomplish something they downsize it! What would you do?"

Umbreon shrugged. "Kill them in my sleep? Or something like that."

Sylveon glared at her.

"Oh come on that would get attention for sure!" Umbreon argued.

"Yeah, as a psychopath!" Sylveon shouted.

Umbreon grinned wickedly. "Everyone likes psychopaths in these types of shows! You'll be a fan favorite!"

Sylveon raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute are you serious?"

"Dead serious!" Umbreon said. "You'll be the most adorable psychopath to ever hit national television."

"I don't this is legal," Sylveon said fearfully.

"That's what's gonna make it fun!" Umbreon explained.

 **0000**

 **Sylveon gulped. "I really should stop going to her for advice."**

 **0000**

 **"** **Of course I'm just joking," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. "But she needs a little spark of her own identity, and something to show off her being unique as a Pokemon." She thought for a moment.**

 **"** **Maybe I should get her a tattoo…."**

 **0000**

Lopunny swung kick after kick as Lucario leaped back to dodge. She focused her power, charging an aura sphere and hurling at the bunny, who slid under it and threw another roundhouse kick. Lucario caught her leg, slamming her paw into Lopunny's chest.

"Gotcha," she said with a smirk. The force palm exploded, throwing Lopunny back against a tree.

Lucario's palms turned into blue flames of aura. "You've never been able to beat me Lopunny. You may as well give up."

Lopunny laughed a little, struggling to her feet. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I DO have one last trick."

She began to glow in a harsh light. Lucario shielded her eyes as Lopunny mega evolved.

Mega Lopunny's ears became longer and she stood in a seductive stance. The fur on her arms and legs was now black, oddly resembling leggings. She gave Lucario a flirtatious glance.

"Hello there gorgeous, how do you fancy my new look?" Mega Lopunny asked with a wink.

Lucario was blushing furiously.

 **0000**

 **Lucario was pinching herself on the arm. "You have a boyfriend, you have a boyfriend, you have a boyfriend-"**

 **0000**

Lucario faced Mega Lopunny with a grim look. "You may be stronger, but this isn't a fight I can lose!"

She shot forward in an extreme speed, shooting forward….

Right into Mega Lopunny's kick.

Lucario gasped in pain, stumbling backwards as Mega Lopunny threw a foot forward.

"Come on darling, dance for me!" She cried out as Lucario weaved in and out of range. Mega Lopunny hopped forwards and aimed a high jump kick that Lucario managed to block. She hissed in pain when her arm began to go numb.

Lucario threw a punch of her own, but Mega Lopunny leaped over it, wrapping her legs around Lucario's neck. As the jackal stumbled backwards Mega Lopunny threw their weight forward, landing in a handstand. With a grunt of effort she shoved her legs forward and flipped Lucario over her head, smashing her into the ground.

Lucario groaned, desperately throwing an aura sphere, but was shocked when Mega Lopunny sprinted forward, spinning and kicking it back towards her in a spin. Lucario had no time to dodge and the aura sphere exploded on impact, launching her backwards...

00000

"Arceus damn it! Stop blocking my shots!" Machamp shouted as Gallade parried another one of his dynamic punches. Nearly five minutes had gone by and Machamp had yet to hit Gallade. Gallade made no response as he charged up another night slash.

"I must admit, you are a very skilled fighter!" Gallade said, blocking an ice punch from Machamp with another night slash.

"Thanks, but if you're not going to stop moving, I'll have to make you!" Machamp shouted, throwing several ice punches at the psychic type. Unfortunately, they were yet again blocked by Gallade. Stepping back, Machamp growled as he took in deep breaths, clearly tired out by the fight. Seeing this, Gallade smirked before noticing Grovyle climbing up a tree, planning to land a sneak attack against Machamp.

" **Don't** " Gallade told her through telepathy as he blocked another ice punch. Grovyle glanced around, looking for the source of the voice before realizing what was going on.

"Why not?" she asked. "He seems pretty tired. I can knock him out."

" **Do not confuse fatigue with injury,** " Gallade grunted, blocking yet another ice punch. Machamp then tried to grab Gallade's arm, only for it to be slapped away. " **He has not taken any damage. It would be unwise for you to hit him. I will keep him busy, you go find the item!"**

"I can fight too you know!" Grovyle hissed at him, offended.

" **I do not mean any offense** " Gallade stated. " **However, this is a fight I wish to fight alone.** "

"And why's that?" Grovyle asked, confused about Gallade's motive.

"... **This is practice…** " Gallade hesitantly told her. " **Now leave before he notices you!"**

 **"** Fine" Grovyle pouted before jumping into a bush. "But don't think I'll let this go. We'll talk later."

0000

Whimsicott dodged Infernape's strikes, floating backwards and shooting an energy ball that the hyperactive monkey blocked.

Donphan suddenly struck from behind, swinging down his sword and slashing off a bit of her hair.

"Whoa dude," Whimsicott gulped. "Watch where you're aiming that thing!"

Donphan trumpeted. "A knight never holds back against an opponent-where did she go?"

"What-DUDE I'M RIGHT HERE!" Whimsicott snarled.

Infernape shrugged. "I guess she just ran away or something?"

"Oh my Arceus I'm just surrounded by morons…" Whimsicott said to herself.

"Well I guess we better split up and search!" Donphan announced.

"Seriously, I can't tell if you're joking at this point…." Whimsicott said in awe.

Donphan rolled into a ball, shooting off in one direction as Infernape sprinted away in the other.

Whimsicott sighed, before Charizard suddenly rammed into her, knocking her down into the ground.

"Where's the item?" He asked bluntly.

Whimsicott groaned. "I hate ALL of you….."

0000

"WHY CAN I NOT HIT YOU!?" Machamp stated, panting up a storm.

"It because you have a curse!" Gallade bluntly told him. Unlike his opponent, Gallade was perfectly fine, not showing any signs of fatigue.

"What the hell do you mean?"

"You're ability no guard makes it so that all of your attacks cannot be avoided" Gallade informed him. "But it also makes it so your opponent's strikes will land as well. Knowing this, I took defensive measures. Every time you aimed a punch at me, I aimed my attacks at your hands. Seeing as dodging is ineffective against you, I instead blocked all of your hits. Sadly, I must end this now."

"And how are you going to do that tough guy?" Machamp taunted. "All I need to do is block all up of your swings."

"It's very hard to move when you're tired.." Gallade said before firing a psycho cut at the fighting type Pokemon. Machamp attempted to block said attack by using stone edge, but he was too slow and exhausted to react fast enough, causing him to take the super effective attack head on. Machamp attempted to stand up, but ended up fainting instead due to the damage inflicted.

" **Grovyle, you may come out now...** " Gallade told the grass type Pokemon telepathically. A few seconds later, Grovyle popped out of a nearby bush, normal gem in hand.

"How did you know I was here?" Grovyle asked.

"Unless you're secretly a dark type Pokemon, I can easily sense your presence due to my psychic powers."

"Right, forgot about that.." Grovyle muttered to herself.

"May I ask a question? Why were you watching me?"

"…I was waiting for you to finish," Grovyle hesitantly said, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink before changing the subject. "Let's just go back and deliver this thing to Victini already!" Giving her a small nod, the two began to make their way back to camp.

0000

Mega Lopunny ran towards an injured Lucario, who was struggling to her feet. She managed to dodge the first kick, but the second high jump kick smashed into her stomach.

Lucario let out a whimper of pain that disgusted her as she hit the ground hard, clutching her stomach as Mega Lopunny stretched her legs.

"Ooh, that was such an adorable sound! Now Lucario, are you ready for the climax?"

Slowking and Tepig both arrived, staring in surprise at the mega Pokemon in front of them. Slowking sighed as Tepig wolf whistled.

Mega Lopunny turned to them, gasping. "Oh my! What strong, brave men! Coming to help the damsel in distress!"

Lucario coughed. "Sc-screw you!"

Mega Lopunny slowly and sensually walked towards them. "Come now boys, wouldn't you rather show off your stamina in a different way?"

She licked her lips, and Tepig's jaw hit the floor.

 **0000**

 **Tepig was pinching himself on the arm. "You have a girlfriend, you have a girlfriend, you have a girlfriend-"**

 **0000**

Slowking glanced at a grimacing Tepig. "So I have a strategy for how to fight-"

"Sorry, hold on a bit mate. I'm in a bit of a test of wills at the moment and I can't trust myself to interact with Lopunny in any way right now."

Mega Lopunny walked up to Slowking, slowly rubbing a finger down his chest. "C'mon….you're a smart one, you know how well Lopunny are in well..you know."

She whispered something in his ear, and Slowking's eyes widened a bit.

((Author's note: LEMON WARNING HOLY SHIT THIS IS HAPPENING PREPARE FOR ALL YOUR INNOCENCE TO BE LOST IN THE MOST HOT UNCENSORED THING TO EVER HIT THIS SITE! NGHHHHHHA!))

Slowking threw up a barrier, knocking Mega Lopunny backwards. She glared at him, before swinging a kick at his side. Slowking created another barrier, an inch away from his face and holding Mega Lopunny in place.

Mega Lopunny narrowed her eyes. "Tch, you're self control is impressive, but you're missing out on a great offer!"

Slowking rolled his eyes. "I'll pass, thanks."

"Are you serious? You must have SOMETHING that gets you in the mood! Seriously, what's your fetish!"

Slowking's eyes turned pink with power. **"Wisdom."**

Mega Lopunny was hurled backwards, landing on her butt. She snarled in rage.

"I take it back! You aren't smart at all!"

Slowking flicked a finger, and trees uprooted, floating in the air. "Bitch I'm a genius."

Ivysaur walked up to Tepig and sat next to him. Tepig tossed him a lemon and the two began to eat them.

"Mmm….these lemons taste really good…" Ivysaur said, as Tepig winked.

Ivysaur gave Tepig a confused look. "Tepig what are you winking at?"

((Author's Note: End of Lemon.))

Mega Lopunny sprinted forwards Slowking as he hurled the trees. Mega Lopunny roundhouse kicked THROUGH one of them, swinging a kick that Slowking blocked easily with his mind.

"Ugh, how are you able to fight on par with me? NOBODY can beat me in a one on one fight!"

Slowking nodded, his barrier holding strong against Mega Lopunny's repeated blows.

"That much is true. Any ONE Pokemon does not stand a chance. However-"

Shellder spun around, facing Mega Lopunny and giving her a wink.

"-I'm a two, not a one," Slowking finished, shooting a hydro pump that blasted Mega Lopunny backwards.

"Shellder, maintain this barrier! I'm going on the offensive!"

"Roger!" Came Shellder's excited voice, and Slowking slowly walked forwards as Mega Lopunny rose to her feet, spitting out water.

"Before I wanted to fuck you," She said in a low growl. "Now I just want to fuck you up."

Slowking snorted. "Funny. Because by the end of the fight you'll have done both of those to yourself."

Mega Lopunny spat at him, before lunging again. Shellder quickly went to work on maintaining the barrier as Slowking turned to Tepig.

"Will you stop eating that lemon and grab the item?"

Tepig snorted. "Fine, the joke ran its course anyway."

Mega Lopunny glared at Tepig, preparing to go after him, but Slowking suddenly headbutted her hard, causing her to see stars.

"Eyes on me," he said calmly, before yawning loudly. Mega Lopunny kicked once more at the barrier, but it managed to hold, though still Slowking was pushed backwards.

Slowking focused his mind, forming water with his hands and manipulated it, creating the form of a trident, surrounding and holding itself together.

"The perfect combination of hydrokinesis and telekinesis," Slowking mused, aiming the weapon towards Mega Lopunny, who growled and aimed a kick.

The two of them fought blow for blow, Mega Lopunny's kicks deflecting the trident until Slowking slammed it into the ground, forcing water to swirl around the two of them in an intense whirlpool.

Mega Lopunny jumped forward, but Slowking threw her into the whirlpool with his mind, sending her around, spinning in circles. Slowly, he telekinetically lifted the whirlpool with his mind, before splitting it apart and releasing Mega Lopunny.

As the bunny tumbled through the air, the water formed into a giant fist. Slowking grunted with effort, punching the air, and the watery fist did the same, slamming into Mega Lopunny, who flew away with a scream.

Slowking sighed, spent as he flopped down. "Arceus damned Jessica Rabbit."

0000

"Is that all you've got?" Gliscor said as he slammed Scrafty with a powerful X-scissor. Getting up, Scrafty attempted to land a powerful head smash on his opponent, only for him to be slapped away by Gliscor's long tail. "I don't even need my bright powder to win."

"Tch, you'll be eating those words soon!" Scrafty snarled before aiming a high jump kick at his opponent. However, Gliscor smiled before setting up a sandstorm. When Scrafty reached the area where Gliscor was supposed to be, he was surprised to see that he was no longer there, causing Scrafty to crash into the ground.

"I love my ability sand veil!" Gliscor said from behind Scrafty before hitting him with a powerful stone edge. "I get an increase in evasion during sandstorms. Pretty neat, right?"

"No" Scrafty growled, throwing a drain punch at Gliscor. However, the ground type Pokemon was able to avoid it before retaliating with a powerful acrobatics.

"And now that I no longer have my item, acrobatics does a crap ton of damage" Gliscor lectured as Scrafty attempted to stand up. "Face it, you cannot beat me."

"Burn in Heatran!" Scrafty growled, going in for another head smash. However, Gliscor wrapped his tail around Scrafty, preventing the hoodlum Pokemon from moving. He then shot up above the treetops and dropped Scrafty. Flying after him, Gliscor unleashed a series of acrobatics at Scrafty before he hit the ground.

"Are you done yet?" Gliscor asked in a mocking tone as Scrafty attempted to get up, but to no avail. He was too injured. Gliscor was about to knock him out with an X-scissor, but stopped when he heard singing coming from outside the sandstorm. Wobbling back and forth, Gliscor hit the ground, fast asleep.

Audino sprinted forwards, using her feelers to navigate through the sandstorm. She gasped when she saw the badly injured Scrafty, quickly using a heal pulse on him. Scrafty managed to rise to his feet, shaking off some sand.

"Are you alright!?" Audino asked fearfully, clutching his shoulder, but Scrafty pushed her off.

"I'm fine," He growled, walking to where Gliscor was sleeping, leaning against a tree. Scrafty threw a punch, knocking Gliscor to the ground as Audino gasped in shock.

Scrafty raised a foot to stomp down on Gliscor's stomach, but Audino quickly restrained him. "Scrafty no!"

"Ugh, fine," Scrafty muttered, glaring down at his enemy.

"We have A LOT to talk about," Audino said, folding her arm and looking stern.

Scrafty grit his teeth, squeezing his stress ball almost hard enough to rip it. "Yeah, I know. But first we need to hurry and get this damn item to Victini. I'm worried we're out of time."

Audino nodded grudgingly. "Very well. But once we get back we need to have a serious conversation!"

 **0000**

 **"** **Shit," said Scrafty. "I like Audino, but if she knows what's good for her…"**

 **0000**

0000

"Here's your item" Grovyle told Victini as she gave the normal gem to Hariyama. Much to her surprise, she and Gallade were the first to arrive.

"Uh, ok. I guess you're free to go," Victini said. Gallade wasted no time, immediately making his way to his tree. Shrugging her shoulders, Grovyle made her way to the cafeteria. She was rather hungry after exploring the forest.

A few seconds later, Swampert slowly made his way to Victini. Due to the fight with Electivire, Swampert was not in the best physical shape.

"I believe this is yours..." Swampert stated, giving Victini the silk scarf.

"Are you ok?" Victini asked, glancing at the water type's wounds.

"I'll be fine" Swampert told him.

Victini shrugged. "Well that means that two items from the Zangoose have been returned!"

"Kill me," Zorua moaned, dragging Ampharos and tossing the poison gem to Victini. A few moments later, Charizard touched down, handing over the poison barb.

"And that's two from both teams! Let's see who cinches it!"

It was Tepig and Lucario who returned, the former supporting the latter as they handed in the poison plate.

"Ugh, we better have won…." Lucario groaned. "I think Lopunny rearranged my stomach…"

"Congrats to you then Lucario, you won!" Victini exclaimed. The Sevipers cheered and The Zangeese swore loudly.

"Pick someone to go home, Zangeese. You guys lose for like the umpteenth time in a row."

 **0000**

 **"** **SHIT! I'm screwed!" Scrafty groaned. "And I need a scapegoat….but who?"**

 **0000**

 **Munchlax inhaled some food. "Mmmm, lemons…."**

 **0000**

 **Carbink giggled. "What the hell am I worried about? As long as the other team keeps losing I'm safe…."**

 **0000**

 **Audino looked exhausted. "There were a LOT of wounds to patch up tonight, sheesh….this challenge was rough…."**

 **0000**

Scrafty looked panicked. "Look….Gliscor and I just never got along very well...trust me okay? Please just vote for Shuckle…."

Audino bit her lip. "Okay….if you say so…."

0000

"Aw...man…." Infernape said sadly to Ampharos as the eliminated campers packed up to leave. "I'm gonna miss them…"

"Dude...they kicked our asses," Ivysaur said. "Not very nice."

Charizard flapped down to the three of them. "Look there's something I need to tell you guys."

"Shoot dude," Ampharos said with a shrug.

"Next time we lose, we're voting off Carbink, all right?" Charizard muttered. "He's just not useful anymore, and we need an option for who to vote off."

Infernape sighed. "But he seems like such a nice dude!"

"Everyone needs to go some time," Charizard argued. "And better him than you, right?"

"Fair point I suppose," Donphan said slowly. "We'll reflect upon this."

As Charizard slipped away, he transformed into Zorua, winking and sticking out her tongue at the camera.

 **0000**

 **Zorua chuckled. "Tepig told me everything. We'll get Carbink off this island yet."**

 **0000**

 **Donphan laughed. "Zorua you naughty girl. I know an actor when I see one, and Zorua is almost perfect. Not good enough though."**

 **0000**

 **Audino sighed. "Scrafty, I'm afraid I cannot trust you anymore. I-I have to vote for you."**

 **0000**

Victini faced the campers, giving them a sympathetic smile. "You had a rough day, so I'll make this a little bit easier for you. Everyone except Audino, Scrafty, and Shuckle are safe."

The three of them looked on in horror. Scrafty winked at Audino, who looked down, unable to face him. Scrafty looked on in incomprehension before his eyes widened in realization.

"Shuckle is safe with only one vote against him." Shuckle breathed a huge sigh of relief as Bidoof wheeled him away."

The tension between the two of them was as thick as a knife. Scrafty stared at Audino in horror.

"How could you?" He asked, completely shocked.

"I'm sorry," she said miserably. "I just couldn't trust you anymore."

"The last safe camper is….Scrafty."

Audino's eyes went wide. "Wh-what?"

Scrafty snorted. "Sorry honey," he said, throwing the stress ball at her, which she caught in surprise. "I couldn't trust you either."

He was gone without another word.

Audino began to tear up, still not having gotten over her shock.

"Audino…." Grovyle said, trying to reach out to her, but she ran off, trying to hide her tears.

 **0000**

 **"** **Scrafty told us that Audino was a traitor for the enemy team, being a transfer…" Gallade said slowly. "And the only reason she was dating Scrafty was to get information and to dump him later…." He folded his arms. "Considering she voted for Scrafty, I suppose that means his words were true." Gallade sighed. "What a pity, I thought she was one of the few truly kindhearted Pokemon on this island. I suppose I was wrong."**

 **0000**

 **Audino was crying. "Th-this isn't how I wanted things to end….Is this my fault? A-anyway, I can't say I want Scrafty to win after what happened…..Sylveon….please do your best to win okay?"**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty lit his cigarette, looking extremely somber. "This was my fault….I know that…" He snickered. "Stupid me thought that a relationship would work on the show. Sorry Audino, but this was never going to work, was it?" He looked down on his cigarette, sighing. "I always try to quit, but the addiction always just comes back, doesn't it?" He smoked on the cigarette, turning off the lighter.**

 **The confessional went dark.**

 **0000**

How was THAT guys? Shocked? Not shocked? Hate on Scrafty? Love on Scrafty? Love to here y'alls opinions!

So uh firstly regarding Mega Lopunny. If she was confusing, basically she's very flirty but has a short fuse and a little sadistic streak. Fun!

Oh! And if any of you remember that mail post thing, that's a new little segment I'm adding!

Send a letter to anyone still in the competition! Tell them why you love them, HATE THEM (haha hate mail is fun guys), send them prezzies, (some could even be used and help the campers through the challenge), or some nasty surprises! You'll be credited and everything! Oh and send as many as you want. As many as possible will be read and reacted to the campers themselves!

Oh and regarding that "lemon" I hope I didn't disappoint anybody, haha! Look I'm not against nsfw, but don't expect any in my work. I suppose if you guys REALLY WANT IT I could do something, but definitely not in this story, and I can't guarantee that my virgin ass could come up with something good. Hmmm I bet it would get me more reviews though...

Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter, and happy hunting!

Oh and Team Mystic for LIFE!

Audino: The author would very much appreciate a review. Thank you!


	20. Chapter 20: Hide and RUN AWAY FROM HARRY

Okay so now I reached a hundred reviews on this story. THANKS SO MUCH I LOVE YOU!

I evolved from master to senpai because of this. I respond to either one though, haha.

This is the episode before the merge, so let's get right to it!

0000

"Whoa….." Infernape said, looking around at the cafeteria. "I didn't realize how many of us left until now…."

"Yeah," Ampharos agreed. "Especially the Zangoose. They've lost a ton of their guys."

"That's our fault," Charizard said with a grim smile. "And according to Slowking there's only one more challenge left to go before the merge."

"Aw man…..I'm gonna miss all of you guys," Ampharos said sadly. "We've been working together for ages now."

"Oh thank ARCEUS I don't have to keep working with you people," Zorua groaned. "I was considering committing seppuku."

"Well don't let us stop you!" Tepig said encouragingly. "This way all of us are happy."

"Get bent," Zorua growled.

"Look can we just make sure to win this challenge?" Carbink asked. "It would suck if our win streak ended now."

"Exactly," Charizard rumbled. "We all have a free ticket to the merge if we play our cards right."

 **0000**

 **Tepig narrowed his eyes. "This might be my last chance to get that shitbird Carbink out. But since I have a foolproof plan, he's as dead as a Deerling in a Doduo den." Tepig's expression suddenly became thoughtful. "Unles….we win the bloody challenge. SHIT-"**

 **0000**

 **Charizard was holding a letter in his hand. "Someone named May sent me this. Something about….loving other Pokemon and needing a sense of humor? Are you kidding? I'm hilarious! What is this outrage!"**

 **0000**

Charizard stomped over to Tepig. "I'd like to speak to you for a second."

"Of course mate, what can I do you for?" Tepig asked lightly.

"I got a letter from someone…"

"Oh, who's the lucky sheila?" Tepig said with a smirk.

"Someone named May. But she's been giving advice I don't understand. I-I'm funny right?"

Tepig snorted, snatching the letter from his hands and narrowing his eyes. He began to snicker loudly.

Charizard let out a low growl. "What?"

Tepig wiped a tear from his eye. "This is PERFECT advice for you. Arceus I didn't notice the irony until just now. It's said so eloquently too!"

Charizard let out a breath of smoke. "I could use some bacon right about now."

"Alright, let me break this down to you as simple and delicately as I can," Tepig said, clearing his throat.

"You're as charming as an Ekans dumped in oil grease, as huggable as a Ferrothorn in a minefield, and as funny as an orphan Sunkern who just found they had lung cancer. On their birthday."

Charizard blinked. "Wait….why a Sunkern?"

"Come on mate, who would ever want to be a Sunkern? That's depressing enough on its own."

"Fair point," Charizard admitted. "But….damn I never really thought about how I presented myself to others. Am I really that distant and serious?"

"Hell even Gallade had more of a sense of humor then you, judging by how he roasted my ass," Tepig admitted. "You just need a bit of guidance in comedy."

He patted a shellshocked Charizard and walked away.

 **0000**

 **Charizard was rubbing his head. "I think I need to take a break from life."**

 **0000**

Grovyle drummed her hands on table, looking nervous. "Okay guys, one challenge left. We need to end it on a high note."

Bidoof cleared his throat.

Munchlax rolled his eyes, still playing on his phone. "Not a literal note you moron. She means we need to win this next challenge."

"Yeah," Shuckle said, squirming uncomfortably. "There aren't a lot of Pokemon on this team, jeez."

Scrafty was smoking. "And if we DO lose, we need to boot out a threat. No point in getting rid of dead weight now anyways."

Swampert held out a hand. "We'll be fine of course. We may have been struggling a lot recently, but as long as we put our heads together and have patience I know we'll all make it to the merge."

Gallade was ignoring the conversation entirely, stabbing at his porridge. Grovyle arched a brow and threw him a look.

"So what do you think? You don't really give us your opinion on a lot."

"It doesn't matter to me because I know I'm not going home tonight. And neither will all of you if you follow my lead."

Umbreon raised an eyebrow. "You sure sound confident."

"I have reason to be."

With that Gallade walked away, leaving the Zany Zangoose.

Shuckle sighed. "He is so annoyingly vague sometimes."

"Yeah but that's what makes him so gosh darn cool!" Bidoof said with a big grin.

"He has a point," Munchlax said with a shrug as he he ate his fourth waffle. "Being vague automatically gives you 50 points in cool factor."

"Wait I was talkin' about the eyepatch," Bidoof said in confusion. Munchlax sighed.

 **0000**

 **Scrafty leaned back. "I'm at a rough patch. Basically if we lose it's either me or one of Shuckle's team. Hopefully I can convince Gallade or Umbreon that they're threats or I can kiss this island goodbye."**

 **0000**

Sylveon aimed her camera at one of the high mountains, closing one of her eyes to concentrate. Umbreon slowly snuck up on her, before slowly leaning close.

"Boo," she whispered, and Sylveon let out a shriek, nearly dropping her camera.

"Don't do that!" Sylveon hissed as Umbreon chuckled, tossing her a letter.

"We both got some shit from home. I got a rare candy for some reason."

Sylveon apprehensively tore open her own letter, reading through. "Aww Vaporeon…."

Umbreon's eyebrow raised. "Is she your sister?"

Sylveon nodded.

Umbreon ripped the letter from Sylveon's paw, crumbling it and throwing it into the river.

"Hey!" Sylveon exclaimed.

"Hey if you want to be a rebel, you have to cut ties with your family. No cooing every time they say something sweet. It's their passive aggressive way of trying to get you back into their lives so they can emotionally abuse you more."

Sylveon blinked. "I'm beginning to think you have issues."

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "Shut up. And I have a present for you…"

Sylveon looked up in surprise at the tattoo kit Umbreon held out. Her eyes went wide.

"Wait Umbreon I think I changed my-"

"Oh don't be a baby, this'll only hurt a little," Umbreon said, leaning in close as Sylveon tried to back away…."

 **0000**

 **Infernape scratched his head. "Did I hear Sylveon screaming earlier?"**

 **0000**

"Alright guys, ready for the next challenge?" Victini asked, looking excited.

"As ready as we'll ever be I guess," Charizard muttered. "Why are we meeting here to discuss it anyway?"

"Yeah what gives, Victini?" Munchlax asked. "We never meet at the campfire ceremony during the day."

Victini smirked. "That's because we're playing Hide and Seek. Or uh...Hide and beat the shit out of each other because the seeker is Hariyama."

"Yes," the beefy sumo said, cracking his knuckles. "And I do not play gently."

"Wait….so we're ALL hiding?" Lucario asked, confused. "We're all working together then?"

"Nope! There are a few ways to win this game," Victini explained. "Basically if Hariyama finds you he'll attempt to beat you up. If he succeeds, you're eliminated from the game. That isn't to say that you can't fight back. If you defeat him in battle, your team will win the challenge. If he isn't able to find you, then you get automatic immunity even if you lose. The other way to win the challenge is by avoiding Haryiama for an hour and touching the totem pole. If you do so, your team will win. Understand?"

"Yeah, but I'm afraid I don't understand the challenge," Donphan said. "I have no doubts about Haryiama's might, but I am sure he is not impossible to overpower if we all rushed him."

Haryiama bowed. "Do not underestimate me. I have trained with legendary Pokemon."

"And that's not all!" Victini said excitedly. "He'll be getting my blessing, which is basically like supercharging yourself with steroids!"

"That...might be a problem then…." Donphan said, a bit nervously.

"Hey….by the way, where's Umbreon and Sylveon?" Victini suddenly asked.

"Right here," said Umbreon flatly, padding forward and flanked by an intensely blushing Sylveon.

"Whoa….what did you do to your arm?" Grovyle asked, completely stunned.

Sylveon blushed even deeper. Her shoulder down to her paw was tattooed in floral patterns that matched her fur beautifully. "U-um I thought it might be fun to try something new….."

"Wait….how were you able to get that on so quickly, it usually takes HOURS for tattoos like that to be complete," Lucario said in confusion.

"We live in a world where fire breathing dragons can be caught in baseballs, and THIS surprises you?" Umbreon asked incredulously.

Lucario blinked. "Point."

"You look great Sylveon," Ivysaur said eagerly, before Infernape leaned down next to his ear.

"Dude...you know that cave where Ursaring used to live? Meet me there!"

As Ivysaur threw the monkey a confused look, Victini snapped his finger. "I'll be teleporting you guys on the other side of the island. Good luck!"

He focused his mind, and the campers and Haryiama vanished.

Victini stretched. "I'm going to go take a nap."

 **0000**

 **Sylveon could be seen praying in the confessional.**

 **0000**

" **We have to fight THAT!" Munchlax shouted in the confessional, seemingly scared out of his mind. "I'm dead."**

 **0000**

 **Tepig cracked his neck. "This is going to be fun."**

 **0000**

The campers were transported to the top of a hill, Hariyama facing all of them with a wicked grin, Victini's power coursing through his veins. He pointed at the campers.

"Hariyama will count to three. Then game begins."

Swampert turned to Scrafty, who had frantically lit up a cigarette. "Everyone, behind me. You'll be safe for the time being."

"One."

Charizard grit his teeth, his wings flapping a bit as Tepig slowly backed up.

"Two."

Sylveon put on her bravest face as Zorua closed her eyes in concentration.

"Three."

Haryiama shot forward like a bullet towards a stunned Charizard. Before the fire type could even stumble back, the fighting chopped at his neck. Charizard's eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he slumped to the ground.

"You're out," Hariyama said, wheeling on the rest of the cast.

"Everybody CHEESE IT!" Ivysaur screamed, and everybody ran in different directions. Zorua turned invisible just in time to avoid Hariyama, who threw a fist towards Shuckle's wagon as Bidoof frantically wheeled it away.

Swampert threw up a protective barrier, blocking the strike. Swampert's eyes widened as he slid back several feet, struggling to maintain it.

Grovyle was running towards the trees, but Gallade tapped her shoulder. "This way."

Groyvle shrugged, following the Blade Pokemon.

Swampert and Hariyama glared at each other, thought Swampert looked uneasy.

"You must realize by now that you do not stand chance," Hariyama said edging forward.

Swampert nodded. "Perhaps, but that does not mean I can't try."

He slammed a fist into the ground that actually caused Hariyama to stumble, before his fist became enclosed in ice. He rushed forward, but Hariyama caught his arm, pressing his open palm to Swampert's chest and letting lose a powerful force palm that blasted Swampert into the ocean behind them, hitting the water with a huge splash.

"That's two down," Hariyama said, cracking his knuckles.

0000

"Run dude, RUN!" Munchlax squealed, sitting behind Shuckle in his wagon. "He just DESTROYED Charizard."

"I'm tryin'," Bidoof grunted in desperation as he struggled to pull the wagon. "Y'all ain'tmakin this easy though. Pullin' this is tough." 

"Okay, I think we're far enough," Shuckle said, looking behind them. "Bidoof, you can stop for a rest."

Bidoof immediately collapsed, groaning on the ground. "Thank Christ."

Munchlax gulped. "What the hell do we do? We're completely outclassed here!"

"We're outclassed….in terms of physical strength," Shuckle argued thoughtfully. "There are other ways to win the challenge."

"Yeah!" Bidoof said excitedly. "We jes gotta use our wits!"

Munchlax sighed. "But we're a trio with a wagon. How are we supposed to stay hidden?"

Shuckle thought to himself for a moment. "Maybe we can set up a trap or-?"

Bidoof's eyes lit up. "Ooh! A trap! I'm great at settin' 'em up! Leave that to me, brothers!"

He ran off, leaving a bemused Shuckle and Munchlax behind.

"Um….so do you think he knows what he's doing?" Shuckle asked.

Munchlax sighed. "We're so boned.

0000

Slowking slowly slid into the ocean, looking around carefully to make sure nobody was in sight. When he was satisfied he sank all the way to the bottom, letting out a huge yawn.

 **0000**

 **Slowking gave the camera a lazy look. "My plan for this challenge was to simply stay focused on winning the immunity. Not to sound pompous but I've done quite a bit recently to make myself a threat, and I do not want to take any risks."**

 **He let out a huge yawn. "Plus I like to sleep whenever I have a chance."**

 **0000**

Grovyle and Gallade both stopped for a moment to let Grovyle catch her breath, before she threw him a strange look.

"What-we've been running for at least an hour and you aren't even sweating? What are you, some kind of freak of nature?"

"You could say that," Gallade said in slight amusement. "Though I should compliment you on your stamina. That wasn't an easy run to do."

"You're telling me," Grovyle said with a snicker. "Why did you want me to come with you anyway?"

"You have keen knowledge about the island and I've always been stealthy. I thought we could make a decent team in this challenge."

Grovyle nodded slowly. "Right. Well...you aren't wrong, I have some shelters hidden around the island, and there should be one near here."

She held out a hand. "Shake on it?"

Gallade gave a half smile, shaking her hand with his scythe.

 **0000**

" **Look I'd be an idiot to trust Gallade," Grovyle admitted. "But he's a tough guy, and hey it would be good to find out more about him, right?"**

 **0000**

Ivysaur slowly and carefully made his way through the dense forest, feeling a little jumpy. He arrived at the cave, slowly peering in.

"Anyone there-whoa!"

Someone pulled him in roughly, and Ivysaur let out a cry of shock. Donphan smacked his head.

"Be quiet. You don't want to give us away!"

"Is Hariyama nearby?" Ampharos asked nervously.

"I...don't think so," Ivysaur said awkwardly. "Why are you guys here?"

"I called you guys for a meeting," Infernape said excitedly. "So the merge is coming soon right?"

"Uh...yeah?" Ampharos sounded like he was asking it himself.

"Well let's make a dudes alliance! It'll be awesome!"

Donphan shrugged. "I have nothing better to do."

"But...wait how will it work? And why is it only us guys?" Ivysaur asked.

Infernape blushed. "You guys are my closest dudes on the island. I trust you all, and I think we should all split the money if one of us wins!"

A lightbulb flickered in Ivysaur's head. "Hey...if I win, you guys can have the money. I already have enough, you know?"

"Wow...that's really generous of you man," Infernape said in surprise. "That's like...really respectable."

Ampharos rubbed his head. "I guess I'm in too then. This should be fun!"

"For me? Definitley!"

Infernape looked confused. "Ivysaur? When did your voice get so deep?"

They turned, letting out a gasp. An unconscious Ivysaur was in Hariyama's grip, the sumo wrestling smiling cruelly at them.

"Aw shit!" Infernape exclaimed.

"SCATTER!" Donphan shouted, and the three ran as fast as they could.

Donphan made it past Hariyama, and when Ampharos was grabbed he set a static shock that briefly shocked him, allowing the electric type to escape.

Infernape however felt his tail being grabbed and he was yanked back with a cry.

"Say goodnight," Hariyama said coldly.

"No way!" Infernape exclaimed, throwing as many strikes as he could to Hariyama's stomach. "PUNCHING SOLVES EVERY PROBLEM!"

He froze, noticing that Hariyama wasn't even fazed. Hariyama winked. "That philosophy works in my case."

He threw a punch that knocked Infernape out cold.

Ampharos sprinted as fast as he could, but tripped over a tree root and rolled down a small hill.

Ampharos groaned, before Zorua turned visible and put a paw over his mouth. "Quiet! You're gonna get us eliminated with your big mouth."

"Sorry…." Ampharos whispered, as Hariyama chased after a rolling Donphan.

Zorua sighed. "It's all right. What happened up there?"

Ampharos gulped. "Hariyama took out Ivysaur and Infernape. What about you?"

Zorua shrugged. "I've keeping tabs on as many as I could. He's already beaten Swampert and Charizard, and he just got Scrafty recently."

"Shit….well then what do we do?" Ampharos asked, a bit nervously.

Zorua smirked. "Relax honey. I saw a cliff that has a view of the whole island. We see that and we can figure how to get back to that totem pole. Hariyama's chasing Donphan in the opposite direction. We're free!"

"Heh, that sounds like a plan!" Ampharos said excitedly.

 **0000**

 **Lucario stretched her arm. "My strategy was to just keep running. I've always been good at track, so I figured if I kept going Hariyama wouldn't be able to catch me."**

 **0000**

Carbink snickered as he flew above the treetops, slowly making his way through the forest. "Hariyama can't catch me way up here. It's a safe ride all the way to the merge."

Suddenly, a boomerang struck him and he fell, catching himself before hitting a tree.

Carbink glared as the boomerang flew back into Tepig's hand, grinning sardonically at him.

"G'day mate," Tepig said with a wink. "Ready for a slice of revenge?"

Carbink narrowed his eyes. "This is getting old. You of all Pokemon should know why I act the way I do." 

He focused his power, firing off a moonblast that Tepig dodged, leaping back to another branch.

"I may understand how you work, but that doesn't make it right, mate." Tepig rolled to dodge a dazzling gleam, swinging off a vine and landing right in front of Carbink.

Carbink's eyes were wide. "We're on the same team! Why would you risk our chance at victory like this?"

"Like I'm going to let you win a free spot into the merge," Tepig said darkly.

Carbink tried to aim a stone edge, but Tepig slammed into him, headbutting Carbink into the tree's bark, before swinging once again on a vine, spinning around and kicking Carbink in the face.

Carbink tumbled out of the air, but suddenly found himself surrounded by flames. Tepig snorted out fire from his nose, lighting the trees on fire and trapping Carbink.

Tepig swung on his vine, leaping off and hitting the ground in a roll. He sighed, cracking his knuckles.

"Well, that was fun. I hope he chokes on the smoke. In the meantime, Hariyama will be here soon to pick him off."

Tepig darted away, leaving behind a heavily coughing Carbink, who let out cries as the fire burned him.

Finally he managed to drag himself out of the intense flames, covered in soot and burns and smoke unfurling from his body. He moaned, lying on the ground, before slowly righting himself up.

Carbink breathed a shaky sigh of relief. "M-man am I lucky. Those flames could've-"

Hariyama tapped him on the shoulder. Carbink wheeled around, his eyes widening.

"SHIT-" Carbink started, before Hariyama's brick break came down hard on his head, knocking him out instantly.

Hariyama cracked his knuckles. "Hmm…..the flames are still strong….and since Hariyama has already disposed of Charizard….."

Hariyama's eyes narrowed. "Tepig is still close by."

 **0000**

 **Tepig smirked. "Well I got my revenge. It's not over yet though, not until he's off the bloody island."**

 **0000**

"So," Grovyle asked conversationally as she and Gallade jumped from tree to tree. "You don't think you could take Hariyama on in a fight?"

Gallade hesitated. "In my mega form, maybe. But to be blunt….I don't particularly like the way I act when I'm in that form."

Grovyle's eye rose. "What do you-?"

"Drop it," Gallade said sharply.

"Okay," Grovyle said uncertainly. "One of my little hideouts is close by, but…."

She trailed off, and Gallade turned to see what she was talking about. She pointed to smoke over the distant treetops.

"Forest fire," Grovyle hissed. "We have to go put it out."

Gallade swore. "We can't. We have to focus on the challenge."

Grovyle glared. "That fire is a little more important!"

"That fire is a huge target!" Gallade snarled. "Where do YOU think Hariyama is right now? Tepig probably set it off as a flare or something because he either captured someone on our team, or because he wanted to challenge Hariyama himself."

Grovyle gasped. "Why would he challenge Hariyama like that? Is he suicidal?"

"No, he's a cocky dumbass with a big ego," Gallade grumbled. "And that ego of his is going to get him eliminated quickly enough. In fact, if we win, I wouldn't be surprised…"

Grovyle sighed. "Fine, I won't go after that fire. But still…"

"Just focus on getting to us to your safe house," Gallade said reassuringly. "You said you had a plan?"

"Yeah," Grovyle admitted. "Of sorts. Good thing I stocked up on berries during my nature walks…"

0000

Umbreon's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Sylveon, the fairy Pokemon letting out a sigh of relief.

"I thought you were Hariyama. This whole challenge is creeping me out."

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "We're on separate teams, Sylveon. We kind of HAVE to fight."

Sylveon gulped. "But...can't we just work together?"

Umbreon sighed. "Look. I'll give you a chance to run away. I don't really have the energy to fight anyone right now."

Sylveon narrowed her eyes. "Wait...why do I have to run away? You're the one who doesn't want to work together!"

"Well because you're….you know, you," Umbreon said awkwardly. "You're not exactly a very confrontational Pokemon."

Sylveon looked like she was steeling her nerves for something. "No. I'm done running away. I-I won't leave, so if I have to fight you, I will!"

Umbreon glanced around her nervously. "Look Sylveon, I'm totally jazzed that you're coming into your own, but this isn't really the t-"

"Oy!" Tepig shouted, sprinting and landing in a slide. "Ladies, Hariyama is on my tail."

"H-hold on just a minute!" Sylveon exclaimed. "I'm not going anywhere!"

Tepig blinked. "Come on Espeon, we'd better get a move on. No use fighting over land when Hariyama is just going to trample it."

Sylveon blinked. "My name is Sylveon."

"Whatever you say Espeon. Now you'd be the emo one right? "

Umbreon narrowed her eyes. "Okay, I have no qualms about attacking YOU."

Tepig grinned. "Then try your luck, love! Ladies first!"

Sylveon gasped at the sound of Hariyama's feet. "Um guys? Temporary truce? Because-" 

"Espeon, we're trying to have an adult conversation!" Tepig exclaimed, cracking his knuckles as he faced a tense Umbreon.

"But-" Sylveon started, but Tepig and Umbreon had already shot off attacks. Tepig rolled to the side to dodge Umbreon's shadow ball, which exploded an inch away from Sylveon. Umbreon leapt over Tepig's shot of flame, and it hit Hariyama just as he ran forward, covering it in soot.

Hariyama glared at the three of them. Sylveon gulped.

Umbreon stepped back, before turning and sprinting in the opposite direction. Hariyama didn't even bat an eye, charging and launching a focus blast after her, exploding on impact and sending Umbreon flying.

Sylveon's jaw hit the floor as Tepig's eye twitched. Hariyama smirked at the two of them.

"Who's next?"

Sylveon slowly backed away. "Um...Tepig, I think I have an idea?" 

Tepig threw her a look. "Oy! Not to worry. I could take Hariyama with one hand behind my back."

Sylveon gave him a strange look. "Do you just live in your own little world where you're literally perfect?"

Tepig ignored her. "That's nice, Espeon. Now Harry, I'll give you one free shot before the fight. You won't be getting another."

"Whatever you say," Hariyama said, stomping over as Tepig challenged him on.

"Come on mate, show me what you have," Tepig declared without an ounce of fear. "Minccino hits harder than you with words."

Sylveon slapped herself in the face as Hariyama winded up a fist. "Okay, I've had enough of this."

She let out a loud screech, and both Hariyama and Tepig keeled over, clutching their ears. Sylveon forced Tepig to his feet. "Come on! I have a plan!"

"Not to worry, I have this." Tepig smirked. "Now's our chance to bring down the bloke-"

"No," Sylveon practically screamed. "Dear Arceus how do you even function? Who in their right mind would ever pay you to work for them?"

Tepig shrugged. "Come on Espeon, isn't that a bit uncalled-"

"No!" Sylveon shouted, slapping him across the face with her tail. "You KNOW my name isn't Espeon! I swear to God if you call me that again I'm going to drown you!"

Tepig threw up his hands. "Right. Right. W-whatever you say Sylveon. So er….what's the plan?"

Sylveon saw Hariyama rising. "Just get the heck out of here!"

Hariyama launched himself forward with a punch that Tepig and Sylveon rolled to dodge, the two sprinting through the thicket. Sylveon felt Hariyama breathing down her neck as she ran as fast as she could. Eventually she ran right up to a cliff, nearly slipping off.

She managed to catch herself, breathing a sigh of relief. But then then Tepig slammed into her, knocking the two of them off the cliff and into the water below.

"Hmm…." Hariyama muttered to himself. "That was easier than expected."

0000

"This is a pretty sturdy hideout," Gallade muttered, impressed. He and Gallade had arrived at one of Grovyle's safe houses, which was well camouflaged and high in the trees.

"Thanks," Grovyle said shortly. "Can you keep watch? I'll go get supplies for the plan,"

Gallade nodded, and Grovyle darted into the hut as Gallade leaned over the tree, looking down at the winding path below.

"So…..what IS this plan?" Gallade asked, glancing back. Grovyle smirked, now in possession of a handful of berries.

"These are Mago berries. If eaten, they'll confuse anyone that dosen't like sweet food."

"And how does that help us?" Gallade asked, suddenly ducking as Lucario ran past on the road.

"What is it?" Grovyle asked nervously.

"Lucario…..she's trying to make a run for it," Gallade muttered. "She's gone though, so please continue."

"Right...well Hariyama prefers bitter and spicy food, so these berries would confuse him for sure. So my idea is to ground these up into powder and get Hariyama do inhale it somehow."

Gallade nodded. "I suppose it's worth a shot. We'd better hurry though, because my guess is almost everyone has been caught already."

Grovyle nodded, sweating a bit as she cut the berries into pieces. The two talked casually as she worked, and even Gallade found himself enjoying the family.

"So, Gallade where do you live?" Grovyle asked. "Do you have a family?"

Gallade coughed. "I grew up in Kalos, actually. But...I don't really have much of a family now, no."

"Nobody at all?" Grovyle asked in surprise. She wondered in her mind why she was asking these questions, but for once Gallade seemed almost relaxed. In fact, though his face was always difficult to read, he almost seemed as though he were eager to talk about what he usually kept secret.

"Well….." Gallade started awkwardly. "I do have a little sister. No parents though, and I don't mind that because they weren't great people."

Grovyle packed some of the powder into a small pouch. "Cute. What's she like?"

Gallade sighed. "I don't-I haven't been able to talk to her lately."

Grovyle fought the urge to roll her eyes. His mental barriers were coming up again, torturing her curiosity. "I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe we could-"

"Shh!" Gallade said, ducking down again.

"That's rude," Grovyle said angrily. "Arceus only knows I'm trying to-"

"It's Hariyama!" Gallade was somehow able to both scream and whisper this fact at the same time.

Grovyle shut up like a Clampearl as Gallade peered over. Hariyama was searching around.

"Does….does he see us?" Grovyle asked nervously.

"I….don't believe so, no. And he's far away. He wouldn't be able to see us from where he is anyway."

Grovyle let out a sigh. "That's a relief. What was that you're saying about your sister."

"Look," Gallade admitted. "Swampert warned me not to be prideful and secretive, and I'm trying to follow through with that. But this….this is something I do not wish to speak of."

Grovyle nodded, folding her arms. "Alright, I'm not trying to force anything. But can I ask one question?"

"Shoot," Gallade said indifferently.

"Does….is what happened with your sister related to what happened to your eye?"

Gallade flinched, and for the first time since she had met him Gallade looked vulnerable. He looked like he was about to say something, but was interrupted…..

By Hariyama punching down between them, falling from the sky.

The two were quick, but even so they only barely managed to avoid the attack. Gallade leapt off the base, digging a blade into a tree branch to hold himself into place. Grovyle winced as she saw this, but hopped up onto another branch, balancing perfectly.

"I thought you said he wouldn't be able to see us!" She growled, the leaves on her arms turning into blades.

Gallade swore loudly. "Of course! It's my goddamn lack of depth perception! Grovyle, go! I'll hold him off here! You're quicker than I am anyway."

Grovyle looked stunned. "You kidding? I'm not going anywhere. We can take him together."

Gallade's eye narrowed, throwing a psycho cut at Hariyama, who managed to block in time. The explosion slid Hariyama backwards a bit.

"Don't be a fool," He grounded out. "Just do as I say!"

Hariyama shot forward throwing forward a palm. Gallade jumped free, dodging the attack and stabbing his blade into another tree, using it as anchor as he spun around, kicking Hariyama in the stomach.

Grovyle hesitated but ultimately gave in, sprinting off in the other direction. Both Gallade and Hariyama hopped onto Grovyle's safe house, glaring at each other.

Hariyama looked almost surprised. "Does young Gallade really believe he can win?"

"I don't have to win to beat you," Gallade growled, throwing psycho cuts as fast as thought. Hariyama actually found himself taking damaged as they overwhelmed him, exploding on his hands and arms. Gallade quickly tossed two more psycho cuts at the ropes suspending them, slashing through them like butter. Gallade backflipped off Grovyle's hideout as it fell down, hitting the ground with a crash.

Gallade landed safely, narrowing his eye as he looked to see if Hariyama was still able to fight.

Hariyama's fist shot out of the rubble, and the sumo rose, brushing himself off. Gallade scowled as he was given almost a commiserating look.

Hariyama didn't even bat an eye as Gallade shot forward, slashing with his blades in a deadly arc. He stood back and defended with open palms, leaping back as Gallade swung a kick.

Gallade snarled, backflipping to gain distance before his tonfas became surrounded by dark shadows. He threw himself forward once more, the night slash exploding into Hariyama as Gallade slid past.

Hariyama spun around, grabbing Gallade by the back of his leg. Gallade tried to aim a high kick with his other leg but Hariyama ducked under it, punching the warrior in the stomach and sending him flying.

Gallade landed on one knee, breathing heavily, while Hariyama didn't even break a sweat. The sumo cracked his knuckles as Gallade twirled, shooting a psycho cut as a last resort.

Hariyama held out a palm in front of him, charging up and firing a focus blast that tore through the Psycho Cut. Gallade threw up his arms to block a split second before he was hit, the blast exploding on impact and smacking him into a tree.

Gallade slowly tried to rise, but then slumped over, exhausted. Hariyama clapped his hands in respect before searching his search.

 **0000**

 **Gallade looked like he was going to collapse. "I put my faith in Grovyle. She better not let me down."**

 **0000**

"Alright!" Bidoof exclaimed. "I reckon it just might be finished!"

"The trap?" Munchlax asked, looking skeptical. "I don't think this is gonna work."

"Jes' have faith!" Bidoof said happily. "I went huntin' all the time for food!"

"If you say so?" Munchlax said awkwardly. Shuckle nudged him.

"Hey if it doesn't work, you can always use that Pulverizing Pancake of yours!"

Munchlax blushed. "Dude, that's Snorlax exclusive. Also It's not like that will stop someone like Hariyama. Did YOU see what he did to Charizard?"

Shuckle sighed. "Yeah, that's true. Hmm….I think I might have a plan-"

"WE GOT 'IM!" Came Bidoof's excited voice. Munchlax and Shuckle gave each other a stunned look before running over to where the excited gopher was stationed. Surprisingly, the trap worked.

Unfortunately, it had worked on Donphan.

The elephant had a rope tied around his back leg, hoisting him up in the air. He looked a bit stunned, before smiling a bit sheepishly.

"Er...hello comrades! Would you be so kind as to set me free?"

"Sure!" Bidoof said good naturedly, but Shuckle stopped him.

"What...if we used him as bait? We leave him here, and he'll slow down Hariyama."

Munchlax and Bidoof both nodded in agreement, but Donphan went pale.

"Oh come on! Can't we talk about-"

Hariyama showed up, folding his arms.

"...This…." Donphan finished lamely.

Shuckle and Munchlax's eyes bugged out, but Bidoof grinned confidently. "Hold yer horses! Don't move an inch or my trap will trap ya!"

Hariyama raised an eyebrow. "You mean trap that has trapped Donphan?"

Bidoof blinked. "Oh. Well then."

Donphan frantically tried to break free, but Hariyama leapt forward, causing Bidoof to leap back next to Munchlax and Shuckle.

Hariyama snatched the rope tied to Donphan's leg and began spinning it over his head, picking up speed, before throwing it off into the horizon.

Munchlax shuddered. "S-so, Shuckle? That plan?"

Shuckle winced. "Um….pulverizing pancake?"

Munchlax wheeled around to face him. "No way! It'll look stupid, and it won't even work! No way, no how! Not happening! Never! In your dr-"

Bidoof launched himself forward. "Yeeeehaw-AAAAAAH!"

The brown Pokemon found himself being punted high in the air, so high that he became a twinkle in the sky. Shuckle's jaw dropped.

Munchlax took a step forward. "U-um, p-pulverizing pancake! A-activate!"

He did a strange dance, making a z shape with his hands. Hariyama watched in amusment.

Suddenly, power began flowing through Munchlax's veins. He found himself surrounded by a powerful aura, his eyes glowing red.

Shuckle gasped. "Holy shit it actually worked!"

Munchlax charged forward, a gleam in his eye. Hariyama snickered.

"How adorab-OW!"

Munchlax body slammed him, backflipping and landing on his feet as Hariyama crashed into some bushes.

"Hell yeah!" Munchlax cheered. "That was awesome! Now why don't you pick on someone your own size you overgrown-"

Hariyama rose to his feet, and Munchlax's taunts became mumbling.

"Can you do do that again?" asked Shuckle eagerly.

"Yeah, sure I think-wait no," Munchlax said suddenly, his power suddenly leaving him.

Hariyama grinned, stomping over to him. Munchlax tried doing the dance again, but this time it didn't work.

Munchlax sighed, giving Shuckle a weary look and giving him his phone.

"Press play please," He muttered as Hariyama tapped his shoulder.

Shuckle gulped, tapping it with one of his arms. A song began to play.

" _Hello darkness, my old friend,"_

Hariyama punched Munchlax in the stomach, causing him to gasp in pain.

" _I've come to talk with you again,"_

Hariyama began to beat Munchlax up as the song played in the background, before Hariyama held up a focus punch, glowing in a harsh light as Munchlax waved his hands to stop him.

" _And the vision that was planted in my brain,"_

Hariyama threw the punch, blasting Munchlax into a faraway tree with enough force to demolish it.

" _Still remains within the sound of silence."_

Shuckle gulped, facing Hariyama by himself. "So uh….you're gonna break my butt now huh?"

"Yes," Hariyama said simply, winding up a fist. Shuckle let out a sigh.

"Let's just get this over with."

0000

Ampharos and Zorua stood on a low hill, excitedly pointing at the campfire about a mile ahead.

"We're almost there!" Ampharos said excitedly. "Just a hot second, and we're both in the merge!"

Zorua gr

grinned a little. "You know….since we have a little time….why don't we relax a little before our guaranteed victory."

Ampharos shuddered. "Um…okay…"

Zorua rolled her eyes. "Don't be a dork. I'm about to rock your world you dumbass-"

Shuckle's shell slammed into her head, bouncing off and striking Ampharos, spinning on the grass next to them.

The two of them collapsed, unconscious. Shuckle popped out of his shell and winked.

"Hehe, double kill!"

"How is young Shuckle not comatose yet?" Hariyama said in surprise, hopping down.

Shuckle popped into his shell. "Because you touch yourself at night!" Was his muffled reply.

Hariyama slammed a karate chop into Shuckle's shell, but nothing happened. Hariyama rubbed his bruised hand.

"This is getting annoying." Hariyama walked to the nearest tree, and with a grunt ripped it out of the ground. He stumbled as he tried to stay balanced, before swinging at Shuckle's shell hard enough to rip the tree in half.

But Shuckle's shell still didn't have a scratch on it.

"This is actually happening," Hariyama said in confusion.

"SUCK IT!" Shuckle shouted back.

Hariyama let out a sigh, before squinting over at the form of Lucario sprinting on the lower hill, not far from the camp. His eyes narrowed.

"Do not move an inch," he told Shuckle, sprinting off and leaping down the cliff.

"Not planning to," Shuckle responded as Grovyle burst out of the trees.

"Shuckle, you're still in?" She asked in surprise.

"Don't sound so surprised," he mumbled.

Grovyle folded her arms. "So Hariyama's chasing Lucario?"

Shuckle nodded. "This would be a good time to go for it."

Grovyle picked him up. "Right then. Let's go little bro."

As she sprinted for the trees, Shuckle flailed his noodly arms. "Noooo, leave me to die! I can't go on in this world!"

Lucario was running as fast as she could when the focus blast fired, somehow managing to cartwheel to the side to dodge it. The blast exploded off to her left, and she immediately threw an aura sphere back.

Hariyama simply batted it to the side. "Young Lucario has good reflexes."

Lucario growled, taking up a fighting stance. She didn't like her odds at this point.

Before she could make a move however, Hariyama leaped up high in the air, reaching where Grovyle and Shuckle were sprinting across the treetops. He slammed his fist down as if he were spiking a volleyball. Grovyle threw up Shuckle's shell just in time to absorb the damage, but the impact still threw the two of them to the ground hard enough to crack it.

Grovyle groaned, lying on her back as Shuckle tumbled away. Hariyama threw a punch into the ground just as Grovyle managed to roll to the side. She sprung back, landing next to Lucario.

"Uh….quick alliance so we can take this guy down?" Lucario asked awkwardly.

Grovyle was still in shock. "S-sure that would be dandy."

Shuckle narrowed his eyes. "Um….Lucario, I think you should rush him. When he tries to counter that's when Grovyle should take over. Neither of you should engage him for too long."

Lucario simply nodded, sprinting forward at Hariyama, who blocked her punch with ease. Her close combat struck hard in every direction with her punches and kicks, and Hariyama stepped a bit backwards as he blocked them all. Lucario's aura senses heightened her reflexes, and when Hariyama moved she could feel it.

She backflipped to dodge Hariyama's hammer arm, throwing him off balance and leaving him overextended. Grovyle saw her chance and slashed through him with a leaf blade, Lucario using the opportunity to slam her palm into the sumo's belly, the force palm blasting him backwards.

Hariyama slid backwards, before throwing another focus blast, exploding in between the two of them. Lucario slammed into a tree in an awkward hug, while Grovyle was simply hitting the ground in a roll. She stumbled to her feet, disorientated as Hariyama threw himself at her.

Lucario grunted, but found that her chest spike had impaled itself into the tree. She grunted, but could not pull herself out. Shuckle was freaking out, dancing around in circles as he tried to think of a plan on the spot.

Grovyle ran forward, but Hariyama simply snatched her by the leaf on her head. He grinned as Grovyle struggled to no avail. He slowly lifted up an arm ready to finish her, just as Grovyle dug around in her small pouch.

Just as Hariyama was swinging his fist, Grovyle brought up her hand full of dust and blew it into Hariyama, causing him to cough and sputter. His grip loosened, and Grovyle kicked herself free, flipping backwards and landing on one knee.

Hariyama stumbled around, completely confused. He punched himself in the face, knocking him around. Grovyle snickered.

Shuckle gave her a wink. "Go for it! I'll uh...keep him occupied!"

Grovyle gave him a thumbs up, before sprinting off towards the camp. Lucario ripped herself free with a snarl.

"Oh no you don't!" She shouted, sprinting after the gecko and leaving Shuckle alone with a disoriented Hariyama.

"I don't suppose you want a game of cards?" Shuckle asked innocently as Hariyama punched himself in the face again.

The two girls were sprinting for the goal, the campfire growing closer and closer. Grovyle gasped as Lucario took the lead, finding herself losing ground against the jackal.

The two arrived at the campfire, making the final stretch towards the totem pole. Victini dropped his Spheal illustrated in surprise as Lucario stretched out an arm, victory in sight.

Thinking fast, Grovyle shot out a bullet seed. Lucario ducked with a smirk, but Grovyle too smirked as it hit the totem pole, bouncing back and striking Lucario in the face.

Lucario howled as she raised her hands to cover her face. Grovyle slid under Grovyle's legs, throwing herself forward and tagging the totem pole.

"IT SEEMS THE ZANY ZANGOOSE HAS FINALLY TRIUMPHED!" Victini shouted through his megaphone. "In the final challenge before the merge, no less!"

Grovyle let out a huge sigh of relief. She had avenged Gallade.

 **0000**

" **Damn, I can't help but feel bad for the poor guy who gets eliminated," Umbreon said in a bored tone. "Too bad there's no prize for almost."**

 **0000**

"Right," Charizard said, looking around his team with anxiety. "We all need to talk about who we should eliminate."

"Yeah, this is gonna be awkward," Infernape said uncomfortably.

"Oy!" Tepig said in a bored voice. "Vote Carbink."

Carbink scowled at him, but so did Charizard.

"And why should we listen to you?" He asked in a low rumble.

"Because I said so," Tepig snorted. "Shouldn't you lot listen to your best player?"

"What do you mean, best player!" Ivysaur angrily. "You're not better than us!"

Tepig rolled his eyes, grinning. "Honestly the only reason you're doing this well is because I transferred here. Most of you would be gone if I didn't so you should thank me."

"You are so twisted man," Ampharos said in exasperation.

"It's kind of hot," Sylveon added.

"Sylveon?" Zorua asked.

"Yeah?" Sylveon asked hopefully.

"Kill yourself."

"Okay," Sylveon said with a quiet sigh.

Tepig leaned back. "You can all moon over me now if you like. Honestly you should all just quit now. I'll buy you all something nice when I win."

"Right, I'm not dealing with this," Charizard growled. "Vote for whoever you want."

He stomped away, and soon everyone followed, leaving a cocky Tepig behind.

 **0000**

 **Zorua rolled her eyes. "Way to make yourself a target, moron."**

 **0000**

 **Slowking looked confused. "I swear, I can never understand that pig. It's like he WANTS to be voted off."**

 **0000**

" **Pssh, They're not gonna take me out like they did Minccino," Tepig said. "I'm as slippery as a greased…...well pig."**

 **0000**

The Sevipers all sat at the campfire for the last time as a team, almost a bit sadly. The Zangoose were much more cheerful upon realizing they were safe.

Victini sat at his podium, reading from his list. "This is it, folks. The halfway point, and all but one of you get to see it. Firstly, both Slowking and Lucario are immune because they were never caught by Hariyama. Congrats!"

Lucario and Slowking high fived, sharing a smirk. Carbink threw them a look of loathing.

"The first poffin goes to….Infernape."

Infernape let out a whooping cry, running out to take his prize.

"Zorua, Donphan, Charizard, Ampharos….."

Zorua leaned in to Ampharos as he grabbed both of their poffins.

"Ivysaur, and…..Sylveon!"

Carbink and Tepig were the last two. Carbink looked disgruntled, while Tepig simply yawned.

"The final poffin goes to….."

Tepig's eyebrow slowly went up and his grin faded slightly. Carbink shuddered.

"...Carbink."

Grovyle swore loudly as Lucario smiled in victory. Finally the annoying little porker was done.

Tepig slowly rose to his feet, his hat tipped over his eyes. He began to shudder.

"Aw…..come on dude, you don't have to cry about it," Ivysaur said awkwardly.

But Tepig wasn't crying. He was laughing.

"You lot made a big mistake today. I might be obnoxious, but Carbink is the real problem. If you let him stay on this island, he'll take over. Mark my words."

The cast all looked at each other anxiously as Tepig slowly walked away. Was he bluffing?

Carbink let out a relieved sigh. That was close, but he outlived the foolish bacon strip.

Suddenly Tepig froze, slapping himself in the face. "Oh right, I almost forgot. Silly me. You actually don't need to worry about Carbink anymore because….."

He took of his hat, revealing a small statue that he held up in the air. "I've just gotten him eliminated."

"What?" Scrafty said in complete shock.

"That's the idol!" Ampharos gasped.

"B-but that can't be real, can it?" Carbink asked, looking terrified.

"Hmmm….let me see," Victini said slowly, using his psychic powers to lift it up in the air.

He stared at it for a moment, before nodding. "This idol IS the real deal in fact. Meaning Tepig is safe from elimination."

Tepig took a mock bow as Carbink went white.

"B-but h-how, how could you h-have-"

"It was easy, really," Tepig announced. "Victini showed us the idol the first day we got here, remember? So I just took it then. You've all been searching for something that had been found the whole time."

Tepig grinned. "V-man, do tell us what this means for old Carbink, would you?"

Victini nodded. "Carbink, because you had the second most votes against you, you've been eliminated."

Carbink had become a stuttering mess, unable to get a word in edgewise, as some of the campers gave him commiserating looks.

"Oh don't feel sorry for this wanker," Tepig said. "Carbink, why don't you tell everyone what you told me."

Lucario sighed. "Carbink, you don't have to say-"

"I did it!" Carbink roared. "I DID ALLL OF IT! I made the fake idols and framed Haxorus! I stole all the mega stones and caused Minccino, Lopunny and Sableye's eliminations! It was all me, and YOU KNOW WHY?"

"Because you're a prick?" Tepig asked innocently.

"Because YOU ALL HAVE UNFAIR ADVANTAGES! Some of you are strong, others are geniuses, and some of you have MEGA EVOLUTION BULLSHIT! This is how I was able to stay alive, and that's not something I'll ever be ashamed of!"

"Don't like...talk to us man," Infernape said awkwardly.

Carbink sneered. "Fine, I'm going. Forget about me doing a final confessional though. There's nobody here I want to win."

He floated off. Scrafty looked thoughtful. "He must have been the one who sabotaged Gliscor too. Little devil."

The others nodded, but Grovyle tapped Tepig on the shoulder. "So wait..you WANTED to get voted?"

"Damn skippy!" Tepig said cheerfully. "I acted like an asshole so I'd get all the votes, leaving my vote as the only one that mattered."

Grovyle nodded with respect. "Huh, I didn't know you were capable of that much thought!"

Victini coughed. "I'm sure we're all uh….still processing what just happened, but everyone congratulations. You've made the merge! From this point on, all teams are dissolved and it's every camper for themselves!"

Everyone looked around at each other nervously.

 **0000**

" **Wow, I guess I'm just a bit stunned…." Ampharos said in surprise. "I didn't think I'd make it this far." He grinned. "But I'm not gonna squander this miracle, I'll win this for sure!"**

 **0000**

 **Bidoof was playing his ukulele. "Wow, this game is real surprisin'! I can't wait 'till the next episode.**

 **0000**

 **Tepig could be seen snoring, his hat tipped over his eyes.**

 **0000**

 **Gallade was looking down. "I can't get careless."**

 **0000**

 **Charizard snorted out fire, looking a little excited. "Finally, I don't have to be a leader anymore. It's time to show off my individual skills. They won't know what hit them!"**

 **0000**

 **Munchlax gave the camera a strange look. "How the hell am I still in this game?"**

 **0000**

 **Slowking smiled lazily. "I have a few strategies to help me progress. I just need to get rid off this blasted narcolepsy. YAWWWWWWWWWW-"**

 **0000**

 **Shuckle looked determined. "I got Bidoof and Munchlax to the merge, so that's good. I have no idea if Slowking will join back with us after evolving. I'll ask him soon."**

 **0000**

 **Zorua snickered. "And I slip away again! Now it will be a lot easier to work behind the scenes. Oh and er….spend some time with Ampharos. I guess. Maybe. If I'm in the-oh screw this!"**

 **0000**

 **Lucario cracked her knuckles. "I'm still nervous here. At this point they'll be looking to take out threats, and I definitely could be considered one. I need some allies."**

 **0000**

 **Donphan trumpeted a laugh. "I knew Carbink would be hoisted by his petard! And I didn't even need to get involved! Now for the million dollars! Ooh, and expect some new roles soon!"**

 **0000**

 **Infernape grinned. "Alright! This is gonna be SO FUN!"**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty smirked, smoking a cigarette. "Carbink never stood a chance, not with him being about as subtle as a kick me sign. But he IS a good scapegoat, I'll give him that."**

 **0000**

That's the end! Finally! God I hate/love this story!

And yes, Carbink FINALLY leaves! Claps for Tepig!

There will be a bit of a break after this, BUT! if you have an OC for season 2, check out my OC list soon! There will be an update soon!

Also Pokemon Generations asiJDIQFHIOE[PGH [GIEPHUIGH[gh[g THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH POKEMON CONTENT THIS YEAR!

Uh thanks to everyone who sent letters! Send more if you wish!

Carbink: Ugh….Review, okay?

Minccino: If you review, we'll beat him up twice as hard.

Carbink: DON'T REVIEW, DON'T REVIEW!


	21. Chapter 21: And Then There Were Some

Hey guys, sorry for the delay, but here's the next chapter!

Before we start, there are just a few quick notes.

Everybody give a big hand to my editor: Premasaur. This is his first chapter for TPI, so say goodbye to errors! Hopefully! (If you find any blame him, not me)

And for a special treat, we have Dark Arcanine as a guest writer. He writes some TPI too, so check him out!

Um...so this was going to be a Halloween update, but...um yeah. It's the 18th of November. So I guess this is a Sun and Moon special then? Speaking of which I STILL NEED TO GET THEM! AAAAAAGGGGGGH!

Let's start up the chapter!

000

"Are you sure these guys are up to it?" Victini asked, looking a bit put off. Hariyama stood next to him, easily carrying two large suitcases in his hands. Facing them was Phione, who looked as enthusiastic as always.

"Oh these guys are awesome! They have their own show back at their dimension. And believe it or not, they're even bigger jerks then you guys!"

Hariyama and Victini exchanged a glance, before Victini cleared his throat. "Uh, wow. Um...I'm not sure if I'm comfortable leaving the cast behind to Pokemon as bad as you say…"

"Could that possibly be concern in young Victini's voice?" Hariyama laughed. Victini wheeled on him.

"N-no, I JUST-ARGH DAMMIT, FINE! Bring them in, Phione!" Victini growled.

Phione grinned. "Alright! Hoopa? Bring the rings in!"

He snapped his finger, and in a moment rings found themselves floating in the air, the inside a wavy dimension of purple. In a moment, three beasts dove out, hitting the dock on their feet and leaving a few cracks.

"What the hell?" the brown and red lion-like beast growled. "HOOPA! WHAT'D YOU DO?!"

"Phione payed for your travel expenses. You should thank him; those were first class tickets, hehe!" Hoopa stated with her signature giggle.

"Ugh...not this multidimensional bullcrap again…" the yellow and black smilodon growled.

"Welcome to this dimension...Raikou, Entei, and Suicune!" Phione introduced cheerily.

Victini held a distant expression. "Seriously? This is who you said were jerks?" Victini asked..

"Oh trust me, they are-"

"I resent that…" Suicune stated with a harsh frown. "And you are definitely more mature than our dimension's Phione...she's still a baby on our side…"

"And also more irritating with that girlier version of Justin Bibarel voice…" Entei muttered.

"Well I'm also a boy, soooo-"!" Phione mumbled.

"Well you three don't seem THAT bad, even funny…." Victini stated. "Hmm...maybe this isn't such a bad choice after all…"

Phione giggled. "I knew you'd see it my way! I'll see you dudes later!"

With that, he dove into the ocean, leaving ripples in the waves.

"So...uh...based on your nervousness, I see you're absolutely nothing like the Victini that _we_ know…" said Raikou.

"Yeah, you're much more of a pussy…" Entei stated, earning him a whip from Suicune's tails.

Victini rubbed his hands together. "Okay guys, I've heard you weren't half bad at hosting. Could you do a fellow legendary a solid and cover for me? Arceus finally tracked me down and apparently I have to make sure a kid named Ash Ketchum loses another Pokemon league."

"Wow, this really _is_ different…" Suicune said. "Didn't our Arceus eradicate all of the humans just so us Pokemon can live normally?"

"Ignoring that…" Raikou said, sweat dropping. "Sure…"

"WHAT?!" Entei roared. "We already had Arceus and Giratina breathing down our necks about working our own show! Why the hell are you so chill about this?!"

"Because I don't care and we can go back to tortur-, I mean...providing our own contestants with the hosting that they need…" Raikou said, passing a cheesy mile toward Victini and Hariyama. " _Plus, there's probably no Drilbur here…"_

Entei immediately froze. "Fine by me", he said with a smile.

"Suicune?" Raikou asked.

Suicune rolled her eyes. "Fine...we already have everything planned anyway…"

Victini nudged Hariyama. "Dude, was I like this when we started out?"

"No," Hariyama said gravely. "These three are far more intimidating."

"Good…" Entei said with a smile. "Glad to make an impression…"

"So do you guys have a fee or something?" Victini asked. "Because we have a pretty shitty budget."

"Your campers' pain and s-" Entei started before being elbowed by both Raikou and Suicune.

"Um...actually, about…..4,000 Poke each should do it…" Raikou said. "Either that or pay us in food…"

Victini's eyes gleamed. "Well funny you should mention that. It just so happens Munchlax received a package for a lifetime's supply of doughnuts…"

"But I hate doughn-" Suicune started.

"GREAT!" Raikou interrupted. "We'll take them…"

"Glad to see that having fatasses on these shows extends across dimensions…" Entei said under his breath.

"Well", Victini started, clapping his hands together and rubbing them. "I guess we should go ahead and introduce you three to the remaining campers. And, luckily enough, these are the campers that have made it to the merge…"

"Interesting…" Raikou stated with a rather sinister smile. "And uh, how many of them are left?"

"Eighteen…" Victini replied proudly. "See, we had thirty-six, so we decided to have our merge be evenly split…"

"Fine, I guess…" Entei said, rolling his eyes.

"Great!" Victini said enthusiastically, though he was a bit iffy about Entei's attitude. "We'll be back in time for the elimination ceremony!"

As the two boarded the boat and set sail, Victini looked thoughtful. "So I guess they don't have humans anymore either. It means I can stop using the Ash Ketchum excuse for whenever I leave."

He sighed. "I mean, who would believe that there was a kid who stayed ten for thousands of years."

Hariyama rolled his eyes. "Young Victini would be surprised."

0000

Charizard was a morning person, and he had a particular fondness for coffee. It was about eight AM when Infernape went over to him, looking a bit off color.

"Infernape? You look like you're going to hurl chunks," he said in surprise at the monkey's expression. Infernape gave a slightly sheepish grin. "Sorry man, just nervous. Could-could you give me some advice?"

Charizard's eyebrow raised. Infernape was one of the Pokemon he got along well with. He certainly wasn't very smart, but he was easygoing and followed orders well, as long as they weren't too complicated. "Sure. What's up?"

"Well…..the truth is, I wanted to know how to lead!" Infernape blurted out. "I mean, you've led the Striking Sevipers for the entire first half of the season! You seem to be the best person to ask."

Charizard was astonished, but bit his tongue to stop himself from demanding who exactly Infernape planned to lead. _Patience,_ he told himself. He could USE this.

"Well try to be firm, but not stifling. I think that was a problem that both Parasect and Ninjask had," Charizard said. "Try to keep up a good relationship with whomever you are leading, which shouldn't be too hard for someone like you. But at the same time, keep some form of semblance of power over them. You need to be in control."

Infernape, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "Um got it dude. Thanks!"

He turned to leave, but Charizard stopped him. "What is this about, exactly?"

Infernape blinked. "Oh! I have a squad now! We rock!"

He ran off, leaving a stunned Charizard.

 **000**

 **Charizard punched an open palm. "Look. I'm not a leader anymore, so that means I'm not tethered to a team. But that doesn't mean I don't want to control the game. And I'm not happy that an alliance is forming. That looks like something I'll need to take care of. Not to mention, I haven't forgotten that thief."**

 **0000**

Ampharos usually liked to sleep late, so when he felt paws digging into his stomach he was a bit disoriented when he quickly snapped up.

"Oh….hey honey," He said tiredly as he looked at Zorua standing over him. She was blushing, but managed a small smile.

"Want to go for a walk?" She asked, already knowing his answer. Ampharos gave a wide grin and thumbs up.

"Cool! Let's go by the docks!"

 **0000**

 **Zorua looked incredibly awkward. "This wasn't what I was expecting at all from this competition, but we're at the merge now! I don't want Ampharos gone, but I also don't want to lose my chance at the prize…**

 **0000**

"So did you just want to go for a walk for fun, or was there something you wanted to talk to me about?" Ampharos asked, happily humming a tune.

Zorua sighed. "Yeah actually. Look Ampharos, just relaxing is fun and all, but we need to watch our backs. This is when the numbers really start thinning in the competition."

"Yeah I noticed," Ampharos said with a frown. "I feel a little melancholy about it to be honest."

"Good, because we need a plan," Zorua said, a little irritated that he wasn't understanding her. "There are some threats still in we need to target. Like Swampert or Charizard. The two of them could destroy both of us with one hit, and Charizard is a leader!"

Ampharos gulped. "Yeah I guess. I never really wanted to target anybody though."

"I KNOW you don't," Zorua said, and her face was heating up again. "That's what I love about you. But the others aren't like that. I'M not like that. If you want to win, you have to play hardball. Get your little alliance to vote with us, and we're guaranteed to make it far."

Ampharos sighed. "I guess you're right. Who do you want to vote for?"

Zorua thought for a moment. "I'd say Charizard at this point. He dosen't like me, because he thinks I'm corrupt. But trust me, he is way worse."

Ampharos raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Trust me," Zorua said grimly. "When you learn acting and how to mimic someone, you learn to read people pretty well. Your buddy Donphan will say the same thing. Charizard has issues, Amphy, and perhaps more frightening, a mega evolution. We can't afford to keep him in."

Ampharos looked a little uncomfortable, but nodded. "S-sure. Anybody else you want to leave?"

"As I said, Swampert's a big threat. I KNOW he's a nice guy," she said as Ampharos gave a shout of outrage. "But have you seen him? The dude could bench press a house! And he's pretty smart. We need to think with our brains, not just with our hearts."

 **0000**

 **Zorua grit her teeth. "Look I know I sound bad here, but I'm not sorry for this. I'm really trying to play fairer, but this is still a game, and not a vacation. I had a reason for coming, and I still intend to win. Or at the very least get Ampharos there."**

 **0000**

Munchlax face was against the table. "I'm sooooooooooooo hungry! That letter that told me that I would get free donuts was a lie!"

Shuckle sighed. "Will you stop complaining? I told you the idea of it was ridiculous. Besides, we need to strategize."

"Ain't that your schtick?" Bidoof asked, puzzled.

"Well yeah, but I'm one guy," Shuckle muttered. "What we need to do right now is stay on everyone's good side, and maybe try and get Scrafty out along the way."

"Well then why don' we talk to Infernape an'' his pals?" Bidoof asked. "They all seem like a good buncha' people."

Shuckle and Munchlax both gaped at him.

"What?" He asked, still smile.

"Nothing, that was just really well thought out," Munchlax said, looking surprised.

Bidoof frowned. "Well I'm not a complete dunderhead. Why don' I talk to Infernape, I'm the most social outta all o' us. Be right back!"

Munchlax whistled lowly. "Seems Bidoof is taking the merge seriously."

Shuckle chuckled. "At this rate he's going to put me out of my job."

Bidoof ran over to where Infernape was eating, giving him a high five. Infernape grinned at the smaller Pokemon. "How are ya, little dude?"

Bidoof nodded up and down quickly. "Pretty swell! Listen, I was just wonderin' if you and your friends wanted to vote with us after today's challenge."

Infernape blinked. "Shit that's today?"

Bidoof nodded again. "Accordin' to Shuckle anyway. He said that we ought to work together."

Infernape shrugged. "Well Donphan told me that we shouldn't invite anyone else into the alliance, but maybe we can pick someone to vote for?"

They both stared at each other for a moment.

"Please forget what I just said," Infernape pleaded.

Bidoof's head cocked to the side. "Forget what?"

 **0000**

" **Oh yeah, I forgot. Bidoof is as stupid as I am," Infernape said with a sigh of relief.**

 **0000**

Lucario sat at a table with Swampert and Grovyle, with Gallade off in the corner. She and Grovyle had hit it off well, and Swampert was always easy to talk to.

"You guys are lucky," Grovyle said with a note of bitterness. "You two and Gallade still have mega evolutions."

"True, but I want to use it fairly soon, you know?" Lucario said. "I'd rather not be a target."

"I'd like to save it," Swampert rumbled. "I'm looking for a good fight more then anything else."

Lucario raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Maybe we can go a few rounds."

Swampert bowed. "I look forward to that day."

"Looks like that day is today, guys," Scrafty said, walking over. "Apparently there's a challenge today. New hosts too, because Victini ain't here."

The three of them exchanged curious glances, but started off towards the center circle of camp.

 **0000**

" **Personally, I wouldn't mind if those two fought it out in mega evolution form. Gives me something less to worry about," Scrafty said with a shrug.**

 **0000**

Everyone made it to the center circle of camp, where they were met by the three legendary beasts.

"Hello", Suicune greeted. "I'm Suicune and this is Raikou and Entei…"

"Did you really have to introduce all three of us?" Entei growled with a grimace. "I can introduce myself…"

"Okay, don't start!" Raikou snapped, silencing them as the remaining contestants exchanged bewildered and nervous expressions. That escalated too quickly.

"Well it's nice to meet you, but where is Victini?" Slowking asked, making sure to sound polite in the presence.

"We're getting to that!" Entei roared, causing a few of the campers to jump at his sudden volume.

Tepig snickered. "You know, usually when one thinks of legends, they're powerful and majestic. You lot are about as wise and majestic as Pidgey was."

"Foreign bacon, shut the fuck up…" Entei growled.

"Entei is giving me a Braixen flashback," Grovyle grumbled. "Is he going to try and burn down a forest too?"

"I'm more worried about what they'll do to us," Swampert said, his expression grim.

"Now, Victini told us that you've all successfully made it to the merge…" Suicune said with a smile.

The campers looked around at each other, some nervous, some triumphant. Umbreon sighed. "I don't like where the three of you are going with this."

"Well, that means that you're gonna be in for a more intense and awful time…" Suicune said with her same smile.

"Called it," Umbreon mumbled.

"The challenge that _your_ Victini gave us, in the spirit of how close Halloween is, is to see who among you will be able to stay inside of a haunted house the longest", Raikou explained. "In the house, there will be traps that will automatically eject you, scary scenarios that you won't be comfortable with, things that make you piss yourselves…"

"Are you reading off of a script?" Lucario said, raising an eyebrow.

Raikou threw a script away.

"Do you three even have qualifications to host?" Lucario continued, sounding suspicious.

"To be fair, I'm pretty sure Victini wasn't qualified either," Ivysaur mumbled.

"Did you have qualifications to make it to the merge?" Entei retorted. "And FYI, we're on our second season already, so yes. We DO have qualifications…"

"Yeah, qualifications to be complete tools," Tepig grumbled.

"Anyways…" Raikou said, ignoring Tepig's comment. "That's your challenge…"

"I'm not seeing much of a problem with this," Slowking said slowly. "We're all fairly smart and powerful Pokemon, most of us have the mettle to survive scares. What catch is there in this?"

"Well, we're known for having unorthodox challenges even pre-merge in our show…" Raikou explained. "So... not only will the traps eject you, some will well...kill you…"

There was a collective gasp among the campers.

"By the looks on your faces, you guys are surprised…" Suicune said. "Don't worry, you won't really die, you'll just receive painful stimuli...and black out."

"Which will also take you out…" Entei added.

"Okay they've gotta be lying. There's no way that they have the guts or immorality to do this….right?" Ivysaur asked, apparently not convinced.

"You guys really don't know us at all…" Raikou chuckled rather darkly. "If you met our contestants, they can tell you that our show is no joke; we make you earn the prize…"

"Scare tactics…" muttered Zorua. "Just lovely."

"Now, how about we go and get you guys in the challenge…"

"Wait, hold on. If Victini already had the challenge pre-approved, how the hell did you guys add your 'death' bullcrap?" asked Charizard.

"You really want the answer to that?" asked Entei.

Charizard stood firm. "Uh...yeah."

Raikou groaned. "After your Victini left, we called in ours and he added a bit of his insanity to it. There you go. Now, I'd appreciate if you all would stop asking questions and-"

"So there _are_ different dimensions with the same, but different legendaries. Intriguing…" Slowking said, off in his own world.

"NO MORE TALKING!" Entei roared, causing everyone to flinch again. "Let's just take these sacks to the haunted house."

"Hey, at least they're not as whiny as our own…" Suicune commented. "Follow us…"

 **000**

The three of them lead the contestants into an area of the forest none of the campers had ever seen before. This area was very desolate and dry, with gray dirt and wilted plants and trees surrounding it. The haunted house stood dead center amongst it all.

Grovyle didn't like looks this immediately and almost lost it, but kept her composure.

 **000**

" **Who...would do this...TO THE FOREST?!" Grovyle exclaimed angrily, slashing at the confessional wall.**

 **000**

 **Munchlax inspected the marks inside of the confessional. "Well...I can take it that someone was upset…"**

 **000**

The hosts stopped in front of the massive haunted house. Some of the campers had looks of nervousness, while others had neutral or brave expressions, though their body language said otherwise.

"Welcome to the...uh…" Raikou started before seeing a slightly crumpled piece of paper crudely taped onto the stone base of the structure. "Victini's Humorous House of Horrors…"

"Ugh...even his names are weak!" Entei groaned.

"Wonderful, Ninjask 2.0," Umbreon said with a sigh.

Shuckle shrugged. "Hey it's not THAT bad…"

"Figures...weakness defends weakness…" Entei muttered, rolling his eyes. "How the hell do pathetic losers like you even make it to the merge?"

"The other half were way worse than us?" Bidoof said with a toothy grin.

"So we just um...go right in, then?" Ampharos asked, looking nervous.

"Yep…" said Raikou. "Head on in and we'll start the timer", he said, tapping a clock that appeared from seemingly nowhere."

"Where the hell did-" Shuckle started.

"We have our ways…" Suicune said with a smirk. "Now get going."

The campers slowly edged their way in through the mahogany doors, hearing a creaking noise from the hinges. As they entered the dark room, the door slammed shut behind them.

"Hmm...should we have told them about...the _thing_ that's also in there?" asked Raikou.

"Hell no. Where's the fun in that?" Entei questioned. "They make it to the merge, they deal with the consequences…"

Suicune sighed.

0000

"It's locked!" Munchlax exclaimed as he tried and failed to pry the doors open. "Aww man we are so dead…"

"Let me try," Swampert said, trying to sound reassuring. "Forgive my lack of modesty, but I AM far physically stronger."

He jerked back the door with all of his might, causing the entire mansion to shake. The door did not budge, and a second later Swampert was flying backwards in between the campers.

"Whoa dude, are you okay?" Ampharos asked, his voice a hush.

"Fine," Swampert grunted, rising to his feet. "But it seems we won't be getting out so easily."

"Well isn't that the point?" Zorua asked, rolling her eyes. "To stay in as long as possible?"

"Still, It's unsettling," Charizard growled. "We'd better stick together if we want to survive. Those three seemed completely psychotic, and as an officer I know my psychopaths."

"Aww, but that's no fun," came a quiet giggle. Everyone turned around as one to see a little girl staring at them, floating in the air.

"Um...h-hey there…" Infernape murmured, trying to keep a steady tone.

"The game is way more fun with screaming and running," the girl said in a cheery voice, before her eyes turned red. **"And you don't want to see me when I'm not having fun."**

"SCATTER!" Someone screamed, and everyone ran off in different directions as the little girl laughed hysterically.

0000

"Is this some sort of library?" Charizard asked to himself as he looked around at row after row of tall bookcases. "I don't mind a good book. Maybe it'll help me keep my mind off the mansion."

He used his tail as a light to guide him through the novels, not noticing a pink sludge slowly forming on the ground behind him, growing tall….

0000

"C'mon man, we gotta go faster!" Ampharos exclaimed, sprinting next to Donphan.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Donphan snapped back. "Though we better figure out where exactly we're going!"

They were sprinting up a staircase that seemed to never end, and soon the two of them were too exhausted to keep running.

"Alright, I think we lost them," Donphan said with a wheezing gasp. Ampharos flopped down next to him.

"Yeah but where do we go? We've lost everyone else too, and we're in a creepy mansion," Ampharos muttered.

"Well there's the top of the staircase? Do you want to have a look around?" Donphan asked with a shrug of the shoulders.

Ampharos blinked. "Hey dude, what happened to your whole Shakespearean thing?"

"Er I mean WHAT HO, COMERADE! For...soothe?"

 **0000**

" **To be completely honest, fear puts off my acting," Donphan admitted. "And in my defense, that ghost girl WAS pretty creepy."**

 **0000**

Gallade signed as he walked through the haunted house. Every illusion had failed to scare the psychic type Pokémon. As such, all he had left to do was explore the house. Unfortunately, he had already explored the house twice, leaving him with nothing to do. Leaning against a wall, Gallade began to close his eye, failing to notice a confuse ray heading straight towards him.

0000

"Hey Shuckle? Is it just me or is this hallway REALLY long? And I think the paintings are staring at me."

Bidoof was dragging Shuckle's wagon, with Munchlax quivering as he followed behind them. Shuckle himself was reading a novel inside his wagon, apparently completely at ease despite the creepy demeanor of the house. He had packed up his wagon with supplies in case there was a particularly difficult challenge.

"Calm down, Raikou TOLD us that it's all illusions and jumpscares. And I highly doubt that they're trying to kill us, no matter what they told us."

"Maybe, but still...hey Bidoof, you've been silent for a while," Munchlax suddenly said with astonishment. "You doing okay?"

"Oh me? I'm fine," Bidoof said, sounding as reassuring as always. "I sure am hungry though."

No sooner had he said this, a butler was standing in front of them, bowing low. "Hello Masters. Luncheon will be held in the dining hall."

He stepped out into a corridor that had not been there a moment ago. Shuckle looked up from his book.

"C'mon guys, we'd have to be complete idiots to-"

"YEEHAW!" Bidoof exclaimed, sprinting forward and nearly throwing Shuckle off his wagon. Munchlax rubbed his stomach, apparently not going to complain either.

"Guys we aren't really-Guys. GUYS!"

0000

Grovyle cringed as she felt glass shatter, having accidentally knocked over a vase. She was in a pitch black living room, not sure how she got there.

"Dammit, that's not going to get me cursed, is it? Dammit, why aren't there any lights in this Arceus damned-"

She stopped at the sound of footsteps, quickly diving behind a curtain. Gallade kicked open the door, his blades at the ready. Grovyle's eyes squinted at the sudden flash of light.

Apparently not seeing anything, Gallade turned to leave.

"WAIT!"

Grovyle ran forward, but Gallade spun, a gleam in his eye as he slashed down with his blade. Grovyle managed to deflect it, albeit very narrowly.

"Whoa dude, hold on!" She cried, just as Gallade raised his blades again.

"Oh," he said, lowering them. "It's just you."

He turned around again.

"So you want to take on the challenge together?" Grovyle asked, an awkward smile on her face.

Gallade rolled his eye. "No, I'd rather not."

"Why not?" Grovyle asked, surprised by his sudden frigid behavior. "What's your deal now?"

"Sorry," Gallade said reluctantly, almost as if he was spitting it out. "I'm just agitated, and this is something I want to go about alone."

He was gone in another minute, leaving flabbergasted Grovyle behind.

"I can never read that guy," Grovyle remarked, shaking her head.

"And great, now I have to survive this stupid mansion by myself."

0000

"Dude, this place makes no sense," Ivysaur grumbled, holding a map in his vines. Infernape was shivering next to hm, though the fire on his head provided a decent light source.

"What's the problem?" Infernape asked, trying to ignore his jumpiness.

"We've been walking around in circles, and things just keep appearing and disappearing. I mean we just got out of that creepy room with the clown, but now it's gone like it was never there in the first place. And this map changes every time I use it."

Infernape gave a nervous laugh. "That'll be the illusions, right? Aww man this is terrifying."

"Eh my dad tore down buildings that were creepier," Ivysaur shrugged. "I mean, so far the illusions have been pretty passive. The challenge is to stay in as long as possible, so as long as we don't let the illusions faze us they won't-wait do I smell something burning?"

"Holy crap, you're right!" Infernape screeched, sprinting over to a room with smoke unfurling out. Though the room was apparently a library, everything was on fire.

"HEY, WHO'S THERE!" Came a voice that caused Infernape to jump. "SOMEBODY HELP ME!"

"That sounded like Charizard!" Ivysaur gasped, running over. Infernape put on a brave face.

"Stay here, and I'll take care of it," Infernape said, trying to sound confident. "Fire can't hurt me, so I'll be fine."

"But-" Ivysaur started, but Infernape had already sprinted inside the room.

 **0000**

" **Was that a little reckless?" Infernape asked, rubbing his head with a sheepish grin. "Probably, but isn't that my thing? Anyway, I really wanted to prove myself this challenge, y'know. I wanted to show that I had the stuff to be a leader too."**

 **0000**

Infernape ran through the burning room, not bothered at all by the smoke and fumes. He wheeled around, searching for whoever called.

"Hey? Are you alright? I need you to speak up!"

"GRAAAHHHHHH!" Came a voice, and Infernape leaped back so far that he hit his head against a bookshelf. A giant pink mass was roaring at him, Charizard halfway into the innards in his stomach, his tail swinging around and spurting out flames.

Infernape gulped. "P-punching solves every problem?"

0000

Scrafty whistled to himself as he leaned back onto a comfortable chair, lighting a cigarette. He kept his eyes completely closed, certain that illusions couldn't harm him as long as he couldn't see them.

Until a beak splintered the wood right next to him.

Scrafty opened his eyes to see a Doduo glaring at him. Scrafty chuckled.

"Wrong guy. Tepig's the one with the bird fear. Shoo!"

The Doduo squawked loudly, causing Scrafty to scowl.

"Look pal, I'm trying to nap, so-"

"RUN AWAY!" Came a cry. Scrafty whirled around to see Tepig sprinting around the corridor, chased by a flock of Doduo, some flying through the air.

Scrafty's eyes widened. "What the he-"

Tepig shot past him, and Scrafty was mobbed by the Doduo in a crash of feathers, his cigarette flying through the air…

 **0000**

 **Scrafty spat out a feather. "Well that has to be the most embarrassing elimination ever."**

 **0000**

 **Tepig shook his head. "Dangerous beasts, they are."**

 **0000**

Sylveon edged along a hallway, trying not to hyperventilate. She had heard Ampharos and Donphan sprinting up a staircase, as well as what seemed to be Charizard screaming, but she herself had not yet been met with a scare, unless you counted the statue whose eyes seemed to follow her. She saw a light in one of the rooms ahead, which would definitely be an improvement to the pitch black hallway.

Before she could pounce in however, a paw stepped on her tail. Sylveon fell onto her stomach with a gasp. Umbreon was leaning over her, looking annoyed.

"Are you an idiot? That's the kitchen! Anybody who ever watched a horror movie should know that the kitchen never means anything good!"

"I had no idea what the kitchen-" Sylveon started angrily, but Umbreon shushed her.

"We need to be quiet," Umbreon hissed. "Just follow me and you'll be fine."

"You've been really pushy lately," Sylveon muttered.

Umbreon scowled. "I know, but you look like you're going to pass out from fright. You CAN trust me, you know."

Sylveon sighed. "Yeah, I know-"

Umbreon suddenly changed form, revealing it to be Zorua. "BOO!"

Sylveon screamed, sprinting off as fast as possible. Zorua fell on the floor, giggling madly.

"Finally, a challenge I appreciate," Zorua said. "Now who to prank next…..?"

 **0000**

 **Sylveon sighed. "Zorua sure seems to be channeling Misdreavus' spirit. Jerk."**

 **0000**

"RUN, RUN, RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Infernape screamed, sprinting up a random staircase with Ivysaur under his arm, the grass type completely bemused.

"Infernape, what the heck did you see in there? And why are we going up this staircase, it literally materialized out of nowhere."

"No time to explain!" was Infernape's response, and soon they were darting down a hallway.

Slowking came out to meet them, looking puzzled. "It's glad to see the two of you well but-"

"No man LEFT BEHIND!" Infernape shouted, grabbing Slowking by the arm and darting into a random room. Slowking stumbled, landing on a bed as Infernape slammed the door shut.

"We gotta board it up!" Infernape said, shoving a dresser against the door as Slowking and Ivysaur shared a look of confusion.

 **0000**

" **I swear I'm getting too old for this," Slowking said with a sigh.**

 **0000**

Lucario backflipped to avoid a swing from an empty suit of armor, growling under her breath. Another raised their club behind her head, ready to strike her from behind.

The two suits of armor had come to life, attacking Lucario when she had come into contact with them. Lucario wasn't really scared per se, but she wasn't in the mood and wanted to end them quickly. Besides, the way they walked was really creepy.

Focusing her mind, she created a bone rush staff that she twirled around, fighting off the two knights at the same time. One aimed a clumsy strike that Lucario dodged easily, quickly swinging her staff and knocking the knight's helmet clean off.

Lucario grinned, but her eyes widened when she saw that the Knight did not need a head to fight. In fact it struck with increased vigor, pushing her defense back.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Came a voice, and without recognizing it Lucario leaped off the balcony, spinning and digging her claws into the wall to catch her. A second later, an earthquake blasted through the floor she had just been on, throwing the Knights away from sight. Lucario flinched a little, but remained firm in her grip.

She rolled back on, but her eyes widened when she saw Swampert shaking his arms madly as a Gligar latched to his face. All form of serenity was gone, and Swampert was shouting like a trapped animal.

Lucario let out a sigh, shooting an aura sphere that knocked the Gligar off and causing Swampert to drop down on all fours, looking terrified.

"You okay?"

Swampert coughed loudly. "I'm fine. Please don't tell anybody about what happened though, I would like to keep up some sort of reputation."

Lucario cocked her head. "Why are you so scared of Gligar anyway?"

Swampert shuddered. "Bad childhood memories. Too many dares to go into the Gliscor nest. Not fun."

Lucario sighed, helping the strong Pokemon to his feet. "Honestly, I was expecting more from this challenge. Nothing really special here."

Swampert sighed. "I'd be inclined to disagree with you. And please don't count chickens before they hatch."

0000

The butler led Shuckle, Bidoof, and Munchlax into an extravagant and fancy room with a giant table of food. If Munchlax was suspicious before, it was gone now, licking his lips happily. Bidoof had on his usual happy smile, leaving Shuckle as the only one with even a hint of trepidation.

"Seriously this joke has run on far enough. Can't we just-?"

" _Be. Our. Guest,"_ the butler sang, and little teapots, plates and forks came to life, dancing and singing. " _Be our guest, put our service to the test! Tie your napkin 'round your neck cherie, and let us do the rest._

"Come on guys, this is dumb can't you see it's just a test?" Shuckle asked, his pitch in perfect tune with the song.

" _Don' you worry this is fun, let's jus' take a break from our quest,_ " Bidoof sang.

" _Yeah c'mon don't be an ass, just look at the way that's salad dressed,"_ Munchlax continued, licking his lips.

" _If you're stressed, it's fine dining we suggest. Be our guest, be our guest, BE OUR GUEST!"_ Everybody but Shuckle sang as one, finishing on a high note.

Everyone laughed as Munchlax grabbed a piece of steak, smacking his chops, he brought it to his mouth.

But when he bit down, it was on an empty fork. "Bwuh?"

All of the food was gone, and the Butler was laughing evilly. With a snap of his fingers, his form changed into that of a Haunter.

Bidoof and Munchlax both yelped, stumbling back, but Shuckle simply rolled his eyes. "REALLY shoulda seen this coming guys."

Plates began rising high in the air, before throwing themselves at the trio as the Haunter giggled, the three of them sprinting away as fast as they could…

0000

Grovyle slowly made her way into the kitchen, trying to remain on constant alert. She cringed at the smell of blood, growling a little at her stupidity.

"Figures you go to the place with all the things to kill you. Just grab a weapon Grovyle, and you'll be fine."

She checked in all the drawers for a possible weapon, but apparently there was no silverware. Shrugging, she opened the refrigerator….

And was met with a disembodied head of a Wooper.

"Hiya!" The Wooper said, apparently oblivious to Grovyle's shock. "I'm looking for my friend Diglett, have you seen him?"

Grovyle blinked, before slamming the door shut, walking away with wide eyes. From the inside of the refrigerator, a muffled voice sighed.

"Why do they always run?"

0000

Sylveon and Umbreon were walking down a hallway, trying to ignore the creepy paintings. They both jumped up when they heard a scream from Tepig.

"Oh Christ no, it's horrible! How could anybody be so cruel?"

"Is he in trouble?" Sylveon gasped. "What's in there that could faze Tepig that much?"

Even Umbreon looked unnerved. "We can go Sylveon. We don't have to get involved in this."

"W-we have to, Umbreon," Sylveon said firmly. "He could be hurt."

"W-well alright then," Umbreon replied, steeling her nerves. The two stepped into the room and gasped. Tepig whirled around, wide eyed with fear.

"Don't look at it! You can still walk away!"

But Sylveon and Umbreon pushed past and gasped. There in front of them….

Was HM01Cut.

"Eewwww," Sylveon cringed. "That's disgusting!"

"It's so lame it's making me sick," Umbreon muttered.

Tepig snorted. "Honestly that's the worst thing that could have been in this room."

0000

"That clock is really freaking me out man," Ampharos said with a sigh, staring at a grandfather clock, the shape creepy in the darkness of the room. Donphan shrugged.

"Not as scary as that giant Ditto. It nearly made me break the fourth wall."

"Speaking of which, dude are you sure we lost it?" Ampharos asked, his voice breaking a bit. "I mean it's still loose in the mansion, right?"

"If it is I'll deal with it!" Donphan trumpeted. "My trusty sword will turn it into putty."

The clock struck twelve, and suddenly it opened, letting out a jet of fire towards the unsuspecting Pokemon.

"Ampharos!" Zorua cried out, turning visible as she tackled him out one way as Donphan rolled the other, the fire separating them.

Zorua landed right above his face, shuddering a little as a static shock ran through her body.

"Sorry!" Ampharos hissed.

"It's fine," Zorua reassured him. "In fact I think I'm beginning to like it."

Ampharos gaped at her, but Donphan let out a trumpet of warning. "We need to split up, the flames are too high! And to be honest I don't think now is the time for a romantic moment!"

The opening of the grandfather clock continued to breathe fire, forcing Zorua and Ampharos to dive through a door as Donphan left where he came.

0000

Munchlax and Bidoof collapsed on the ground. "Holy crap, what WAS that?"

Bidoof shuddered. "They just MOBBED Shuckle like a Kanto Barbeque."

Munchlax sighed. "Well we better move on. Ugh, usually we have Shuckle to guide us."

"Maybe we just split up and search for clues!" Bidoof said, his exhaustion gone.

"This isn't Growlithe-doo," Munchlax muttered. "I'm saggier then a melted potato and you're dumber than a brick. Maybe together we'll stand a chance but alone-"

He blinked. "Aaaaand he's already gone. What are the odds."

0000

Ivysaur and Infernape sat on the floor, playing cards as Slowking took a nap on the bed. Infernape had a fun time teaching Ivysaur poker, and the two talked a little about the competition.

"So do you have any idea who we should vote for?" Ivysaur asked as he folded a playing card. "There are a lot of dangerous guys here."

"Aww man I don't know, I don't like thinking about it," Infernape chattered. "I just wanted to relax with you guys until the end. I don't know anything about politics."

"Well, maybe we can go for one of the guys who still has a mega evolution?" Ivysaur asked. "Lucario is pretty scary for starters."

"Maybe," Infernape said. "But I like Lucario!"

"Umm…..how about Gallade?" Ivysaur asked.

"Aww but he's so cool!"

"Er Swampert?"

"But he's so wise and strong!"

Ivysaur sighed. "What about Zorua? Nobody likes Zorua."

"But she's-"

"Infernape, stop man!" Ivysaur snapped, letting out a bit of his frustration. "We have to vote out SOMEBODY."

Infernape looked down awkwardly. "Um I know...but…"

"GRAAAGH!"

Slowking's eyes shot open as he created a psychic barrier with his mind, just as the giant Ditto burst through the door. Infernape and Ivysaur leaped back in shock, but Slowking's barrier managed to hold.

"How did he break through?" Ivysaur asked as the Ditto swarmed over the barrier. "We boarded the door up as much as we possibly could!"

Infernape simply looked horror struck, continuing to stumble back as Slowking struggled to maintain the barrier.

"I can't….hold it up forever….some sort of signal is messing with my brain. You two, try to slip through while I hold him off!" Slowking growled, sweat dripping down his forehead.

"But what about you? Don't sacrifice yourself for our sake!" Ivysaur shouted at him as he tried to pull away a terrified Infernape with his vine.

"All….I ask is that you do not vote for me," Slowking muttered. "Just...make sure I'm remembered for this…"

"S-sure thing," Ivysaur said, and for a moment Slowking's barrier strengthened, giving Ivysaur and Infernape a chance to dart out the door.

Slowking let out a gasp as the barrier faded away, collapsing down to one knee as the Ditto lunged forward….

Ivysaur and Infernape were sprinting down a hallway, looking panicked.

"Dude, we gotta go back!" Infernape wailed.

"We can't!" Ivysaur said regretfully. "We can't do anything more to help him-Infernape?"

Infernape had tripped over something, falling flat on his face. Ivysaur looked confused, before widening his eyes as he realized he was staring at a spider web, Ariados and Galvantula tying the now unconscious monkey around.

"Oh jeez um…." Ivysaur started, when two Ariados hopped down in front of him with deep hisses. One fired a string shot that Ivysaur managed to dodge.

"Um I can see you're busy with your meal, and th-that's fine but...I gotta go!"

He turned and ran as fast as he could, muttering an apology to Infernape as the spiders wheeled on him, licking their lips…

0000

Bidoof crawled up into the vent, wiggling his butt as he squeezed in. "I wonder if this is the right way to go?"

0000

Gallade's gait was slow and uneven, something burning in his chest. His whole body twitched like he was going to snap at any moment.

Kirlia's voice sounded in his head, and the bladed warrior could feel the burning anger in his his chest threatening to explode out of him. But he had to be strong.

When the Zubat jumped out at him he ignored them. When the next room was filled with creepy, bloodstained clowns, he ignored them. When zombies of past eliminated campers leaped out at him, he ignored them.

But the stabbing pains from in his eye patch were impossible to ignore, and he could feel himself losing control.

"You know the cost if you fail us," the cold voice of the Bisharp said. "Get us the money, and everyone makes it out unscathed."

"Real scary," Gallade snarled. "I know it's just an illusion."

Bisharp looked amused. "Is it?"

He swung a blade, catching Gallade across the face and knocking him to the ground. Gallade felt a drop of blood slide down his face.

This was real.

With a feral snarl, Gallade launched himself forward, meeting the Bisharp in a flurry of strikes. They fought back and forth, feinting, parrying, and striking hard, but Bisharp kicked him in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

"I told you what would happen if you tried to fight back," the Bisharp said. "And after all these years you still can't beat me."

Gallade rolled back up to his hands and knees, practically hyperventilating. "A year ago, I would have contained myself in fear that I would hurt too many others."

The Bisharp cocked his head as Gallade ripped out the eyepatch. He stared at Bisharp, a mega stone lodged into his eyesocket. "But now I could care less."

He glowed with a harsh light, the Bisharp rippling and vanishing as the pink barrier enclosed around Gallade. It exploded, revealing a taller Pokemon with sharper blades and a white billowing cape.

Mega Gallade looked at his surroundings, his new eye glowing with intense power as he glared at Munchlax, who had stumbled into the room.

Munchlax gulped. "Um...hi Gallade, are you-?"

Mega Gallade lunged forward, kicking Munchlax hard in the stomach, sending him flying backwards and slamming him into the wall.

"OW WHAT THE HELL DUDE?" Munchlax screeched as Gallade threw a psycho cut, the little bear somehow managing to dive out of the way to dodge the massive explosion it left behind.

Munchlax landed in a roll, sprinting out as fast as he could, screaming at the top of his lungs. "GALLADE'S ON A RAMPAGE! EVERYONE SAVE YOURSELVES!"

0000

"Did you hear screaming?" Ampharos suddenly asked looking out of the door he and Zorua were holed up in.

"I didn't hear anything," Zorua said without interest. "Don't let this place get to your head, alright? This is all to mess with us."

"I guess so," Ampharos muttered, not looking convinced. "Sorry I'm being such a wimp."

"You're fine Ampharos," Zorua said, blushing a little. "In fact, you know we have some privacy now. Alone...in a dark room…."

Ampharos laughed. "Are you trying to seduce me or scare me?"

Zorua grinned evilly. "Maybe a little of both. Now why don't we-"

"HEY HOWDY HEY! MIND IF I SPEND THE NIGHT GUYS?" Ivysaur suddenly barged into the room, knocking Ampharos over and shocking the both of them.

Zorua's eye twitched. "Hi Ivysaur. Do what do we owe the pleasure?"

Ivysaur's eyes were wide. "I'VE SEEN SOME THINGS, MAN. I JUST WATCHED INFERNAPE BE DIGESTED BY SPIDERS. CAN I USE YOUR BATHROOM?"

"Will you keep it down?" Zorua hissed. "We don't want to...is it suddenly cold in here or is it just me."

Ampharos gulped, looking at the ceiling. "Umm….Zorua?"

A cold purples mist was descending down, laughing sinisterly. Zorua gaped.

"Yeah, fuck that noise. Let's get out of here!" The three of them darted out of the room, the mist following….

0000

Bidoof hummed as he climbed through the ventilation shaft, before hearing a cry. He cocked his head at the noise, but didn't pay attention for long.

"Oh nice!" He said. "An' openin'! I must have Giratina's own luck!"

He dropped down into a small office unlike the rest of the dark, gloomy house. It was bright for one thing, and machines and buttons labeling 'illusions' were labeled everywhere. A Hypno was at a computer, sipping some coffee.

"Wow! What a place," Bidoof said in astonishment.

"Wait, you aren't supposed to be here!" The Hypno shouted, spinning around. Bidoof threw himself forward, headbutting the psychic type hard in the face. Hypno collapsed with a groan.

"Oops, sorry 'bout that," Bidoof said sheepishly. "Reflex."

The Hypno did not move.

"Er well….don' say anything if ya want me to touch all of these interestin' buttons."

The Hypno did nothing.

"Well I can' deny a direct request!" Bidoof said eagerly. "Le's have a looksie!"

He hopped up on a chair, looking at all of the buttons. Shrugging, he tapped one.

A cool, synthetic woman's voice filled the room. "Welcome to the Victini's Humorous House of Horrors Illusion center. Please state the password in a clear voice."

"Hmm….." Bidoof said to himself. "Now what would a good password be? How about…..Ninjask is as dumb as a sack of Miltank patties rolled up into one disgustin' cake?"

"Access granted," the voice said. "Please state your name."

"BIDOOF!" Bidoof exclaimed.

"Welcome Bidoof, my name is NIKE, mainframe of the Illusion Center. Would you like a brief tutorial on how my programming functions?"

Bidoof shook his head. "Nah. I'd rather tap up some buttons to see what they do!"

"Well that certainly seems reasonable. Do enjoy yourself."

000

"UMBREON, DON'T LET GO!" Sylveon screamed as the giant pink blob pulled her in, Umbreon gritting her teeth as she tried to prevent her from being dragged away.

"I'm trying!" Umbreon snarled as Tepig threw heavy objects at the Ditto, nothing even affecting the monster.

Umbreon flinched as a canoe banged into her head, causing her to stumble back. "OW! Hey where the hell did you even get a canoe anyway!?"

Tepig shrugged. "I dunno."

"Guys, I'm being pulled in. Ew this so gross," Sylveon said as her head was pushed under. Umbreon growled, pawing the ground.

"Oh no you don't! RAHHH!" She charged into the Ditto, throwing herself into the gooey mass. The Ditto roared and trembled as it tried to overcome the dark type…

Tepig stepped back. "Well I'll just be running in the opposite direction then."

He turned and sped away, leaving the still struggling Ditto behind him.

0000

"Will you calm down?" Lucario asked as she and Donphan faced a terrified Munchlax. "You look like you've seen a….oh well I suppose it makes sense."

"N-no, G-gallade is-" Munchlax started, chattering his teeth. Swampert raised a hand to calm him down, before suddenly leaping in front, creating a protective barrier.

The Psycho cut exploded on impact, and Swampert winced as he maintained the protect. An instant later, Mega Gallade sprinted down the hallway, a gleam in his single eye.

"What the hell?" Lucario asked to herself, but Mega Gallade jumped high in the air, over Swampert's shoulders and elbowed her in the face, throwing her off the balcony.

Munchlax leaped back, letting out a shriek as Swampert threw a punch that Mega Gallade caught easily, aiming several kicks to his stomach. Swampert faltered, and Mega Gallade carved into his chest with a leaf blade.

Munchlax stumbled back, trying to find an opening, with Mega Gallade aiming his next attack.

A sudden lurch threw the both of them off balance as the very room began to change shape, distorting itself.

0000

From the clear window ahead of him, Bidoof could see the entire Mansion change it's shape, becoming an odd sort of indoor construction site. Crates were everywhere, with an unfinished building high in the air. There was even a bulldozer as a finishing touch.

"Wow….that's fascinatin'!" Bidoof exclaimed, tapping more buttons.

"Would you like to introduce a fear to this area?" Nike asked, and Bidoof nodded vigorously. "Sure thing!"

0000

"What the hell? This stupid mansion doesn't make any sense!" Zorua snarled as she ran alongside Ampharos and Ivysaur.

"Yeah I can't remember all this cement," Ivysaur admitted as he eyed some of the construction cones.

"Wait? Is that-?" Ampharos asked, before a psycho cut hit the ground in front of them, the explosion blasting the three of them back. They groaned as they hit the ground, Ampharos craning his neck to see….

"He mega evolved!" he shouted, and Mega Gallade whirled around to see them. Swampert was facing him, somehow managing to recover from the leaf blade.

"Shit, scatter!" Zorua hissed, turning invisible as Ampharos and Ivysaur ran in other directions. Mega Gallade unleashed a flurry of psycho cuts, exploding all around them.

Swampert grunted, throwing his hand to the ground, his fist powerful enough to crack the cement in an explosion of power, Gallade leaping up high in the air to dodge, landing one of the supply crates.

"Why...are you doing this?" Swampert asked, falling down to a knee as Mega Gallade shot towards him, his scythes at the ready.

He spun around, changing direction as Ampharos shot off a thunderbolt. Gallade wheeled on him.

"Why do I do things?" Ampharos mumbled.

Mega Gallade's psycho cut blasted through the crates, but Zorua jumped in the way, taking the full on hit.

"Ha, dark type!" She sneered. "Ampharos we'd better-"

A low growl suddenly caused them to turn around, revealing the giant form of the ditto, diving down towards them.

"Run!" Zorua shrieked, turning invisible as Ampharos darted away, suddenly tripping over a box and falling flat on his face with a growl. The Ditto loomed over him, but in the next second a box struck it, causing it to flinch.

The Ditto whirled around to see Ivysaur throwing boxes at it with his vines. "Uh get away from him, you giant...uh...thing!"

The Ditto roared, absorbing some of the boxes and turning towards Ivysaur, who threw razor leaves to no affect on the giant creature.

"Why do I do things?" Ivysaur murmured as the Ditto grabbed him by the vines, slowly dragging him into itself as he tried to break free.

Ampharos scrambled to his feet, but in the next instant Donphan was thrown into him, bowling the two of them over.

"Er, long time no see?" Donphan asked with a chuckle as Mega Gallade shoved Swampert backwards, the powerful water type barely blocking his strikes.

"Gallade, you need to come down," Swampert huffed, trying not to falter under the vicious assault. "Do not let your mega evolution consume you."

But all Mega Gallade saw when he was facing Swampert was a laughing Bisharp, who swung a sharp claw.

Mega Gallade spun around, kicking Swampert in the face to knock him out, before turning to the remaining Pokemon. Ampharos had grabbed Ivysaur, trying to pull him away from the giant mass of the Ditto as Donphan stabbed at its back with his sword.

Mega Gallade grinned evilly, charging forward, but then suddenly a bulldozer slammed into him, Munchlax jerking on the joystick to try and control it.

Mega Gallade slid back, snarling, as Munchlax gulped, swinging the heavy claw that Mega Gallade caught easily with his own.

Munchlax sighed as Mega Gallade launched himself forward. "Why do I do things?"

"AWW DUDE IT'S PULLING ME IN! Save me man, save me!" Ivysaur cried as Ampharos slid backwards in his efforts.

"Ew…." Donphan said, wiping off his blade. "There's pink goo everywhere!"

"Dude, help out!" Ampharos cried as Ivysaur felt himself be pulled in, trying to strain away as much as he could.

A bulldozer suddenly slammed into the Ditto, blasting it backwards and freeing Ivysaur. The dozer smashed against the unfinished tower, threatening it to topple over. Munchlax bounced off, landing on his face with a groan.

"Whoa, where did THAT come from?" Zorua asked, suddenly becoming visible. "That thing just flew at us from-"

Mega Gallade flew forwards, aiming a strike, but Donphan suddenly slammed into him from the side, knocking him backwards. Donphan landed next to Ampharos, with Zorua and Ivysaur behind them. Munchlax stumbled to his feet with a groan.

"Alright, five of us, one of him," Zorua said. "We can take him."

"Um, anybody got a plan?" Ivysaur asked, as Mega Gallade got into a fighting stance.

Ampharos shrugged. "Hit him till he dies?"

"CHARGE!" Donphan trumpeted, rolling forwards.

Mega Gallade snorted, spinning and sending off a psycho cut. Ampharos and Ivysaur shot off a thunderbolt and razor leaf to meet it in a powerful explosion, Zorua turning invisible behind them. Munchlax sighed, muttering to himself that he was an idiot as he charged towards Mega Gallade.

Donphan pulled out of the roll in a jump, swinging down his sword to meet Mega Gallade's tonfas in a shower of sparks, but in the next instant Mega Gallade kicked him away.

Munchlax came up from behind him, aiming a punch that Gallade blocked easily, swinging up a kick that jerked his head up, spinning around in a roundhouse kicked that blasted Munchlax backwards.

Ivysaur gulped, rolling to the side, but Munchlax smashed into Ampharos' stomach, throwing the two of them backwards. Ivysaur gulped as he faced Mega Gallade alone, his vines at the ready.

Gallade rushed Ivysaur, who casted out his vines in defense. Mega Gallade slashed through them like butter, but then suddenly jerked back, Zorua turning visible and grabbing him by the neck.

As Mega Gallade stumbled backwards, Ivysaur felt a lightbulb go off in his head. He had an idea. Cocking his bulb forward, he burst out a sleep powder that washed over the two of them.

Mega Gallade's eye widened, leaping backwards to avoid the powder, finally shaking Zorua loose. With a grunt, he threw her through the powder, the fox landing next to Ivysaur in a roll, snoring loudly. Ivysaur sighed. That had backfired.

Mega Gallade pointed a blade at Ivysaur, but then had to roll out of the way as Donphan shot past.

Donphan continued to roll around in circles around Mega Gallade, who watched him out of the corner of his eye. Ivysaur nodded, narrowing his eyes and releasing a leech seed that Mega Gallade backflipped to avoid.

Seeing his chance, Donphan threw himself at Mega Gallade, who simply slid forwards to meet him, kicking him up in midair.

Donphan gulped, trying to stay curled up, but Mega Gallade jumped in the air, twirling and slashing though his body with leaf blades, before using his body as a kickstand, smashing Donphan into the pavement in an explosion of dust. Mega Gallade landed in front, a bloodthirsty grin on his face.

"And then there were four," Munchlax groaned as he and Ampharos darted over to where Ivysaur was quivering. The giant Ditto was reforming from where the Bulldozer had smashed into it, enveloping the vehicle.

"Three actually," Ivysaur said with a wince, gesturing to the sleeping Zorua. "Sorry about that."

Ampharos turned to Munchlax. "Can't you use that pancake thing from last challenge?"

Munchlax rolled his eyes. "That was a one challenge gimmick. I can't do that again!"

Mega Gallade slowly walked forward, beginning to speed up. Grimacing, Ampharos fired a thunderbolt. Gallade leaped to the side to dodge, but then Ivysaur's vines wrapped around his arm.

"Hey!" Ivysaur said in excitement. "I have him!"

Mega Gallade let out a roar, jerking back the vine and throwing Ivysaur forward with a scream. He swung Ivysaur around his head by the vines like a bizarre yo-yo, Ivysaur's screams in his wake.

Munchlax ran forward, but Gallae blocked his attacks easily, elbowing him in the face and sending him stumbling backwards. Ivysaur groaned. "Oh ew….gonna throw up…SOMEBODY GET ME OFF THIS RIDE!"

Ampharos sprinted forward. "Don't worry little dude, I got you!" His hand closed into a thunder punch, but fast as thought Mega Gallade swung Ivysaur to the side, using him as a living shield to block the strike.

"Ow!" Ivysaur cried as electricity coursed through his body, Mega Gallade swinging him forward, forcing Ampharos to leap backwards. The shaved sheep aimed several strikes, but Gallade spun around Ivysaur like a ball on a chain, taking all of the hits.

"Ow! OW! Ampharos stop that!" Ivysaur cried out as Ampharos accidentally hit him with his tail. Ampharos mumbled an apology as he ducked under Mega Gallade's attack, bringing up a fist.

But Gallade jerked his hand down, swinging Ivysaur's face into the fist. "AMPHAROS, YOU TEAM KILLING BASTARD!"

Gallade spun around, swinging Ivysaur and hitting Ampharos over his head, bringing him down as Munchlax charged forward. "Pulverizing Pancake!"

Mega Gallade smirked, sticking out a foot. Munchlax tripped over his leg,hitting the ground in a roll as Gallade cartwheeled over to him, still swinging Ivysaur.

Munchlax tried to rise, but Gallade's kick smashed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him, before Gallade aimed another that struck between his legs, Munchlax's eyes bugging out.

"M'DICK!" Munchlax screamed, as Gallade spun around, using Ivysaur as a baseball bat to slam Munchlax high into the air, before finally swinging him down into the ground, Ivysaur's head smashing into the pavement, his eyes rolling back in his head as he fell unconscious.

0000

Bidoof sipped some coffee, enjoying the violence until Munchlax slammed into the window, whimpering in pain. The two stared at each other.

"Bidoof!" Munchlax cried out, his voice muffled on the other side. "Help out! Gallade's going crazy!"

"Intruder located on the window. Initiating defense system," NIKE said cooly, and Munchlax screamed as electricity zapped him, falling from the window and crashing on the ground.

"Hmm…." Bidoof mumbled, cocking his head. "Can we send anythin' to stop Gallade?"

"We could always remove the oxygen," NIKE said fairly. "I calculate a 98% chance that the fighting will cease."

Bidoof blinked. "Well that seems reasonable."

0000

Grovyle and Tepig were sprinting out of a room, the two of them looking terrified.

"Thank Arceus that was just an illusion," Grovyle shuddered. "Imagine if those two became the presidential candidates?"

"Nah sheila," Tepig said, waving a hand. "Gumshoos and Hillary Cubone? We're more likely to get Sinnoh remakes."

"Pssh, and that's never going to-What's going on there?" Grovyle asked. A second later Swampert flew backwards, cracking against a wall.

"Holy shit mate, you look you got hit by a bulldozer," Tepig said, looking alarmed.

"The irony of that statement isn't even funny," Swampert grunted, trying to get up.

Mega Gallade turned towards them, brandishing his scythes. The Giant Ditto was slithering towards Ampharos, opening its mouth.

"Um….hi Gallade? How are you-?"

Mega Gallade roared, throwing another psycho cut that Tepig and Grovyle dodged, Swampert managing to throw up a protect to block it.

"Er...well I suppose you can take on that pink monstrosity," Tepig said with a shrug.

"Oh yeah and what about you?" Grovyle asked pointedly. Tepig grinned, giving Gallade a long look.

"No!" Grovyle snarled.

"Grovyle-"

"NO! Are you insane? He's going to put you in a coma!"

"Maybe, but I'll look sexy while doing it," Tepig said with a wink. "Watch, this'll be a ratings pussy magnet."

Grovyle rolled her eyes. "Shoot yourself in the foot, fine. I don't care."

She sprinted off to face the giant Ditto, shooting bullet seeds. Gallade ignored her, instead stepping towards Tepig. "You."

"Oh so you recognize me?" Tepig said in mock surprise. "Good, that PTSD shit was gettin' old."

Mega Gallade threw back his head and laughed. "Bisharp can wait. For now I'm going to turn you into porkchops."

Tepig sprinted forward in a flame charge, snorting out smoke. Mega Gallade stabbed a scythe down with perfect timing, pinning Tepig down by his tail and throwing him down.

Mega Gallade stomped down with his foot, but Tepig managed to roll out of the way, snorting smoke out of his nose that covered Gallade entirely.

Slowly stepping back, Tepig's nose glowed with an intense red power as he prepared a flamethrower. But an instant later, Gallade shot out of the smokescreen, smashing into Tepig's nose and throwing him backwards.

Grovyle rolled around the Ditto, her bullet seed peppering it's gooey skin. The Ditto lunged for her, but she was too quick, sprinting around and aiming several leaf blades.

Tepig hit the ground hard, rolling to his feet and aiming a punch that Gallade blocked easily, landing several jabs into Tepig's stomach.

"Oy, timeout!" Tepig said, trying to stumble away. "Bathroom break!"

"You WILL be pissing yourself when I finish you," Mega Gallade snarled, throwing a psycho cut that exploded in front of Tepig, who flew backwards into Swampert's arms.

Mega Gallade stomped over, and Tepig leaped out of Swampert's arms. "Don't worry, I have him right where I want him. I'll beat him without a doubt."

Gallade snorted. "How?"

Tepig threw himself at his enemy, his entire body cloaked in blue flames. "Fuck you, that's how."

Mega Gallade rolled his eyes, catching Tepig, though the impact managed to slide him back a bit. Mega Gallade punched Tepig hard in the stomach, causing him to cough out smoke.

"Pathetic," He growled, slamming him into the ground. Tepig rose to his feet unsteadily.

"C'mon mate, is that all you've got? Minccino hits harder on Wednesdays!"

"Wednesdays?" Swampert asked warily.

"Oh for sure, see she wears this dominatrix outfit and-oof!" Mega Gallade hit him in the stomach again, blasting him into the wall.

"Too much information," Gallade growled, as Tepig managed to rise up to his feet again.

"Thank you sir, may I have another?" Tepig asked, wiping some blood from his mouth.

Gallade closed his eye, letting out a groan of disgust. "You are RUINING THIS FOR ME TEPIG!"

Tepig shot out a flamethrower that Gallade simply sidestepped to avoid. "Come on, hit me again, I could do this all day."

Gallade lost his composure, shooting forward and punching Tepig again and again, who couldn't even fight back. He followed up with a vicious uppercut, throwing Tepig in the air, waiting for him to fall down in a thud.

"Ha… that tickled," Tepig groaned, apparently too weak to move. Gallade rolled his eye, lifting him up in the air. Gallade glared at the bruised face of Tepig, a scythe to his throat.

"Any last words?" He asked in a husky voice. Tepig spat blood on his face.

Mega Gallade's eye twitched.

0000

"Er Nike?" Bidoof asked from his chair, watching the scene play out in front of him. "Why is Gallade slamming Tepig's face against the wall?"

"Well Bidoof, this is likely stemming from Gallade's increasing range. This is only helped by Tepig's barbs and quips," Nike replied.

"Oh...well then if it's makin' Gallade angrier...then why is Tepig doin' it?" Bidoof asked, completely mystified.

"It is likely because of Tepig's overwhelming desire for attention. He was ignored by his quarreling parents and as such acts melodramatic so he won't be ignored."

"Oh," Bidoof said, as Mega Gallade continued to beat Tepig's head against the wall. "Hey what does that button do?" He tapped it, and one of the crates began to open slowly.

0000

Mega Gallade slammed his foot into Tepig's stomach, causing him to squeal in pain.

Gallade snorted in laughter. "That's hilarious!" He stomped down on his stomach again, enticing another squeal from Tepig.

"Oy that's not fair!" Tepig groaned. "I'm a pig, it's a natural reaction-SQUEAL!"

Mega Gallade doubled over in his laugh as Swampert rolled his eyes. He eyed him.

"Why aren't YOU trying to stop me?" He asked coldly.

Swampert sighed. "I don't have the power. Also Tepig's kind of a jerk!"

Tepig glared. "I thought we were ma-SQUEAL! STOP THAT!"

Mega Gallade raised him up again. "You know, you sure can take a lot of pain."

"Oh yeah, I'm a total masochist," Tepig said, nodding vigorously.

Mega Gallade cringed. "Really?"

Tepig snorted. "Nah, you just fucked up my nervous system. I can't feel pain anymore."

Mega Gallade sighed. "Fine, I'm bored of this charade anyway, so-"

Zubat and Golbat flew from the crate, swarming Gallade, who stumbled back, swinging his blades wildly. Tepig fell from his grip, falling limply on the ground.

Mega Gallade threw psycho cuts, blasting away the bats as Tepig stumbled to his feet.

"Holy shit, I can still stand. Now...uh-oh."

Gallade threw another psycho cut, blasting him away in the other direction, slamming against the unfinished tower, which threatened to tip over. Next to him, Grovyle continued to dodge the Ditto.

"See, I knew this would happen," Grovyle remarked, to which Tepig simply groaned.

Gallade sprinted over. Grovyle immediately went over to grab Tepig, but he waved a hand. "Don't worry love, I have a plan."

"You know what? Fine, but you brought what happens next onto yourself," Grovyle said, raising her hands up in the air and stomping away. "Let's go, Giant Ditto."

"GRAAAGH!" The Giant Ditto replied, and the two walked off together.

 **0000**

 **Grovyle shrugged. "Honestly, he's not so bad once you get to know him." Her face darkened. "Unlike SOME guys I know."**

 **0000**

Tepig coughed, rising to his feet once again. "Okay, so why don't we take a bit of a break before the fight-"

"Massacre," Mega Gallade said gruffly.

"-FIGHT continues. I'm having a ripsnorter here, but I still have a few questions," Tepig continued. "Want a drink?"

"No, I WANT you to shut up," Gallade growled.

"How rude," Tepig said, before Gallade slammed him against the tower. "No more talking."

Tepig rolled his eyes. "Right. Tell me, why are you doing this?"

"Because you're annoying the shit out of me," Mega Gallade shot back.

"Oh come the hell on, if annoyance was a factor then Pidgey would've been murdered weeks ago," Tepig said. "In fact, why the hell are you even doing this at all? Just beating the shit out of people."

Mega Gallade blinked. "I need to find Bisharp. He's here. I have to-"

"You ARE mental," Tepig snorted. "I thought you were just tired of my shit."

Mega Gallade's shoulders sagged as he tried to keep his composure. Bisharp, think of Bisharp, where was he?

"Want to hear a joke?" Tepig asked. "How many Gallades does it take to screw in a lightbulb?"

Bisharp...ignore Tepig, he's just a moron. Think of revenge. Not-

"All of them! One to screw in the light bulb, and the rest to evolve into Gardevoir. Because let's face it, who would ever pick Gallade over-"

Mega Gallade smashed Tepig back into the tower, hard enough to crack it. The tower slowly hinged forward, tipping over.

"'Bout time," Tepig said to Gallade as his eye twitched. "Want to hear a touching' story?"

He suddenly jerked up his head, headbutting Mega Gallade hard in the face. As the mega evolution stumbled back, Tepig rolled away. He grinned.

"Once upon a time, you got killed."

The tower fell on Gallade with a crash. Tepig pulled himself up.

"And I lived happily ever after. The End. Eh?" The tower was being held up by Gallade, who was one on knee.

With a shout of pure rage, Mega Gallade lifted up the tower, rising to his feet.

Tepig sighed. "Piss."

Mega Gallade threw the tower at Tepig, catching him in the stomach and launching him into the wall. "FINALLY, THAT OBNOXIOUS VOICE ENDS!"

"Good, now will you please calm down?" Swampert pleaded. "You've already knocked everyone out, I'll surrender and you can win the challenge."

Gallade's eye narrowed. "Tell me where she is, and I'll revert. You can't fool me."

"Gallade I have no idea what you are even talking about," Swampert said warily. "I'm not sure what is going inside your head, but try taking a deep breath-"

Mega Gallade took a step forward. "Fine, we'll do it your way."

Swampert sighed. "Then you've left me no choice."

He glowed in a harsh light, his muscles becoming bigger and more powerful. He was hunched over, punching his fists against each other. "Stand down. I will not ask again."

Gallade leaned back and laughed. "A rematch, Bisharp? I'm going to kill you."

Mega Swampert growled. "I'm getting really sick of your PTSD bullshit." He shot forward, nailing Mega Gallade in the jaw. He slid back, wiping away a bit of the blood.

The charged towards each other, meeting in a flurry of punches, kicks, and slashes.

0000

The entire top of the mansion exploded, Mega Gallade and Swampert shooting off attacks at each other as they floated high in the air. Mega Gallade flipped forward, his tonfas in a leaf blade, but Mega Swampert used protect at the last moment, blocking the blow.

The pure power of the move, however, was enough to propel Swampert backward into the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust.

Swampert slammed his fist on the ground just as Gallade hit it, exploding the very earth around him. Mega Gallade dug his scythes into the ground as an anchor, slowly pushing his way through the earthquake.

 **000**

The entire top of the mansion exploded, Mega Gallade and Swampert shooting off attacks at each other as they floated high in the air. Mega Gallade flipped forward, his tonfas in a leaf blade, but Mega Swampert used protect at the last moment, blocking the blow.

The pure power of the move, however, was enough to propel Swampert backward into the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust.

Swampert slammed his fist on the ground just as Gallade hit it, exploding the very earth around him. Mega Gallade dug his scythes into the ground as an anchor, slowly pushing his way through the earthquake.

As the carnage occurred, Raikou and Suicune had amused faces, while Entei yawned. "I've seen more intense battles on WWP...and they're all fakers!"

The other hosts chuckled as the contestants turned to them in utter shock.

 **000**

" **Yep...I think I'm horrified of these guys now…" Shuckle said.**

 **000**

Victini floated next to Hariyama, the two just getting back from their journey. "But really, I think we need some sort of snappy tune to go along with the show. Something about wanting to be famous and living close to the sun!"

Hariyama shrugged. "Hariyama does not quite understand. Wouldn't young campers already be famous simply by being on the show?"

"Yeah, well I haven't worked out all the details," Victini said, waving him off. "Now-WHOA WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HAUNTED HOUSE!"

The entire mansion was in shambles, with most of the campers sitting around in a circle to watch Mega Gallade and Swampert battle. The two were currently in a standstill, Gallade's sharp blades slowly tearing through the blocks of Swampert's ice punch.

Victini whirled around to face Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, who were simply watching the fight with satisfied grins. "What the hell happened!?"

"Oh swordplay and mudshitter started battling, it got intense, and they destroyed your house…" Entei explained nonchalantly.

"Why the hell do you sound so CALM?!" Victini blustered.

"Because this is pretty normal for us...and a few other hosts," said Raikou.

"I have a lot to learn," Victini said with a sigh. "Alright, so apparently this challenge ended early. Anybody survive to the end?"

Silence. The campers sitting around the circle all looked beat up. Tepig in particular had bruises all along his body and when he grinned a tooth was missing.

"Thank you for your patronage," a voice said, and soon Bidoof walked out of a cubicle that had apparently survived the explosion.

"Wow, does this mean I win?" Bidoof asked, smiling.

"I...um yes Bidoof," Victini said awkwardly. Soon Grovyle walked out as well, still talking to the giant Ditto.

"Oh are you still in a cranky mood?" Grovyle asked, looking at Mega Gallade struggling with Mega Swampert. "Because I don't need to be here if-"

Mega Gallade turned to look at her, and his eye widened in shock. For once he did not see a Pawniard and Bisharp with bloodstained blades, but the short figure of his little sister.

"Kirlia?" He asked to himself, before a heavy fist slammed down on top of his head. His eye rolled back and he fell unconscious, reverting back to his normal state as he hit the ground.

"Th-thank Arceus," Mega Swampert said, slumping down. He reverted back as well. "I'm not sure if I could have won that fight."

Victini sighed. "Alright. Now is THAT everyone?"

Another minute, and Lucario burst out of the mansion with a gasp, letting out several coughs. "Did a construction site, LAND on TOP OF ME?"

"Oooh, yeah that would be the way the mansion works," Victini said, before shooting a glare at Gallade and Swampert. "Or well...USED to work anyway. We had our old friend Hypno create illusions with our new piece of tech. Say hello, NIKE!"

"Hello," Nike said.

"So that was all illusions?" Ivysaur asked. "None of that was real?"

"Well….other than Gallade apparently beating the living tar out of half of you," Victini said, arms folded. "Speaking of which, Gallade what the hell?"

"I'm sorry," Gallade grunted, rubbing his head as Grovyle helped him out. "My Mega evolution got out of hand. It won't happen again."

"Alright," Victini said, apparently not convinced. "Arceus, we need a therapist or something."

He sighed. "SO, since Swampert and Gallade wrecked my property, which does NOT grow on trees by the way, you guys are NOT getting immunity. The ones who DO get immunity are Bidoof, Grovyle, and Lucario, for sort of outlasting the illusions, as well as Mega Gallade's wrath. Goddammit Gallade, you completely messed with the flow of the challenge."

He rubbed his hands together. "SO! Think of somebody else to go home. See you guys at the campfire ceremony."

He turned to Raikou. "You guys want to stay for elimination or head home now. The uh….payment's already been sent over."

"Oh we're saying. Watching a chance for victory be snatched away is very therapeutic…" Suicune said with a smile.

"Oh come on, you were the one I actually had faith in…" Victini said, facepalming himself.

"Ow...I don't get paid enough for this shit," Hypno said, stumbling out of the cubicle and rubbing his head.

Hariyama groaned. "Seriously, what the hell did we miss?"

0000

"Well, good job Bidoof," Shuckle said grudgingly as the three sat around the cafeteria. "Even if you guys DID leave me with a bunch of Disney song singing ghosts."

Munchlax moaned. "Hey, dude, at least you didn't have to fight Mega Gallade. I'm going to have to adopt if I ever want to have kids."

Shuckle sighed. "So I assume you want to vote for him?"

"Uh yeah? Dude, he kicked me in the dick!" Munchlax exclaimed.

"I guess you could say it was a dick move," Bidoof said.

"Bidoof I swear to God," Munchlax grumbled.

Shuckle bit his lip. "Well hold on. He and Swampert used up their Mega Evolutions. Shouldn't we vote for someone who still has theirs? And what about Scrafty?"

'What's your point?" Munchlax asked.

"My point is that Gallade's basically dead meat. There's no way he's winning at this point," Shuckle explained. "Now's our chance to vote for someone who we won't be able to get out again!"

"Like...who?" Bidoof asked, struggling to follow.

Shuckle looked thoughtful. "Well, let's use our heads. And in the meantime, Bidoof better talk to Infernape and see if we can't get them to vote with us."

"Sure thing!" Bidoof said brightly.

Munchlax sighed. "I'll go too. They got their asses kicked by Gallade with me. We have a sort of brothers-in-arms relationship now."

Shuckle nodded, and the two darted off.

0000

Infernape leaned against a tree, clearly trying to think deeply. Ivysaur and Donphan were with them.

"So um….are we going to vote with Munchlax and Bidoof?" Ivysaur asked nervously. "We can trust them, right?"

"Hell yeah!" Infernape said suddenly. "Yo, those guys are awesome. But um...I don't like voting for people."

"Infernape, we have too," Ivysaur said with a sigh. "Look, I know this isn't your thing, but you want to win, right?'

"Yeah…" Infernape said with a sigh. "Guess we have no choice. What do you think Donphan?"

"No tan rapido!" Donphan announced. "I am no longer Donphan, for he met his destino and fell against the mighty Mega Gallade. I am El Elefante, the Spanish knight and conquistador! El placer es todo mío, mis amigos!"

"Right….hey where's Ampharos?" Ivysaur said suddenly.

"Ooh, he's with Zorua, that sly dog," Infernape said with a giggle. "Some fruits are getting popped if you can catch my meaning!"

 **0000**

 **Ivysaur sighed. "Am I the only one who doesn't trust Zorua yet? Look I hope she and Ampharos are happy, but she's still a schemer. I'm beginning to think this whole dating thing might be a ploy to gain sympathy…"**

 **0000**

Gallade leaned back in Grovyle's hamlet, holding an ice pack to his head (somehow). Grovyle passed him a cup of herbal tea.

"Drink that. It's echinacea. It'll clear your head," She said quietly. Gallade took a sip and shuddered.

"Disgusting."

Grovyle grinned. "I know. But most things that are good for you don't taste that good. You never really get used to that taste though."

She turned solemn. "Look Gallade, we've gotten closer lately, but I think you owe me an explanation. I'm not judging you, but what the hell was that?"

Gallade looked down. "It was nothing. Just my Mega Evolution getting out of hand. It's happened before on the show, remember?"

Grovyle shuddered at the reminder of Mega Sableye's raucous cackles, but shook her head. "No, dammit! There's more to this story and we both know it! We're going to talk about this, and we're both getting character development out of it!"

Gallade sighed. "Fine. I'll tell you. Tommorrow. Just give me time to-"

"Ohohoho no!" Grovyle said. "Nice try, buster, but we both know chances are you're going home tonight. C'mon, what do you have to lose?"

Gallade looked down. "Whatever! Fine, ask what you will!"

Grovyle sat across from him. "Thank you. What, is it PTSD or something?"

Gallade shrugged. "In a way. My Mega form thinks he is still back with that gang."

"Gang?" Grovyle asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes. When I was younger I was involved with them. I believed their leader to be a friend of mine, and….I wasn't the greatest person. My jobs were barely legal, at best."

"So what happened?" Grovyle asked again. "I'm sorry, but you're acting very vague."

"I'm getting to it," Gallade growled. "After a while...I started getting cold feet. My sister opened my eyes to what they really were. But then...when I confronted Bisharp he-"

His voice broke.

Grovyle's eyebrows rose. "He what?"

"HE HAS KIRLIA!" Gallade snarled suddenly, causing Grovyle to jump. "He told me if I didn't get him an amount of money by the end of the summer he'll...I don't know. But that's why I need to win this competition."

Grovyle looked horrified. "And you never told anyone about this?"

"Of course not," Gallade spat. "You have no idea how much power Bisharp has. The Police are too feeble to apprehend them, no offense to Charizard. And...I'm scared, Grovyle. Even if I get the money, what if my mega evolution takes over?"

His expression darkened. "I could end up killing the very thing I'm trying to save."

Grovyle took his hand. "I'm...shocked and horrified to hear that Gallade. I know it isn't much but…"

She smiled shyly. "I support you. If I win I'll pay off any money that he asks for."

Gallade felt a lump in his throat. "I...thank you Grovyle. It's good to know I have at least one Pokemon on my side."

He gave a strained, lopsided sort of smile that somehow managed to brighten his whole face. Grovyle grinned back, but suddenly looked curious.

"Wait...but what happened to your eye?"

Gallade cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"You're eye," Grovyle said, pointing to his eyepatch. "I assumed that it-"

"Oh...no," Gallade said, suddenly looking embarrassed."The two events are unrelated. I lost my eye the day I evolved."

"How?" Grovyle asked curiously.

"A bug flew into it," Gallade said with a shrug.

Grovyle looked confused. "Wait but...you don't lose an eye if-"

"You do if it's your first day with swords for hands," Gallade admitted.

"I don't get-ooooooh," Grovyle said, flinching. "That must have...yikes."

 **0000**

" **Gallade basically toasted himself this challenge," Scrafty said, smoking a cigarette. "May as well vote for him. Coming up next is Shuckle's posse."**

 **He held up a bag full of sweets. He winked. "And what better way than to attack it's weakest link."**

 **0000**

The campers all sat at the campfire for the first time as individuals. Intimidating glances and tension was in the air.

Victini sat at the podium, the legendary trio beside him. "Alright, welcome to your first elimination as individuals-"

"Things will just be getting worse from here…" Raikou commented.

"Save that for your own contestants!" Charizard exclaimed. "I NEVER want to deal with you three again!"

A few of the contestants agreed with that sentiment, nodding in agreement.

"Well, that's too bad, because we've provided Victini with a lot of advice for challenges that'll make you _really_ work."

"And experience more pain than you thought imaginable…" Entei added. "It's about time for you all to step out of bitch mode…"

"Mate, you're the only one who's been a bitch this entire time, you overgrown pussycat!" Tepig exclaimed.

"Screw off, porkchop…" Entei growled. "I honestly hope that you get eliminated just so I can laugh…"

"Okay...let's just get this started…" Suicune said, nudging Victini.

"Huh? Oh, right…" Victini said, originally distracted from them. "Bidoof, Lucario, and Grovyle, you three have immunity…"

The three of them caught their poffins as Suicune flung them with her tails. Grovyle looked back nervously at Gallade.

"Now, the first poffin goes to...Sylveon…"

Sylveon smiled as she caught her poffin.

"Slowking, Ivysaur, Zorua, Ampharos…"

The four of them looked relieved. Slowking simply chuckled. "Naturally."

"Scrafty, Munchlax, Shuckle, Infernape…"

"Hooray! I'm still here!" Munchlax exclaimed with a smile.

"Not for long, I bet…" Entei commented, making Munchlax look down in nervousness.

"Donphan, Tepig, Umbreon, and...Charizard."

"Ha, choke on that, Lion Dung!" Tepig exclaimed, making Entei growl.

Swampert and Gallade were the last ones there. Gallade flinched, looking as though he had expected it, but Swampert looked vaguely surprised.

"Well...this is surprising...not", said Raikou.

"Gallade...you destroyed my haunted house and pretty much beat the crud out of everyone. Pretty scummy..." Victini explained. "And Swampert? Er...well you are one tough cookie. You beat UP the guy who destroyed my haunted house and pretty much beat the crud out everyone. Still….it would be a dick move to go after the guy who saved everyone."

The two of them glanced at each other. Trepidation was clear on their faces.

"The final poffin goes to…" Victini said dramatically, as usual. "Wow...you guys ARE assholes. Swampert is going home!"

"What?" Gallade asked, completely stunned.

"What?" Swampert said as well. "But….why?"

"Threat votes," Slowking said simply. "You understand."

Swampert sighed. "Sadly yes, I do. I had a good time, everyone."

Gallade looked immensely guilty. "Swampert, I-"

"Save it," Swampert said, waving him off. "I don't blame you. Just...promise me that you'll work through your problems."

Gallade nodded, throwing Grovyle a look. "I...already am."

Swampert smiled bravely. "Then I'm ready to leave. Good luck, everyone."

He walked off, leaving the saddened cast behind.

 **0000**

" **Oh I feel like such a tool," Shuckle said, banging his head against the confessional. "But he was way too powerful as a camper. Forgive me dude, you were awesome!"**

 **0000**

 **Zorua whistled lowly. "Thank Arceus SOME Pokemon apparently know what they were doing. Swampert was strong AND nice enough to make it to the top."**

 **She looked curious. "Still...Shuckle and Ampharos' group together are pretty formidable. I won't touch Ampharos' friends, but there are still way too many votes for me to feel comfortable with. I've laid off Team Eviolite after that whole Plusle fiasco, but we need to knock them down a peg. Again."**

 **0000**

 **Swampert was meditating. "I've achieved enlightenment before, and I have no need for material gain. The prospect of losing money does not bother me, but I can't deny that being voted off by my friends hurts a little."**

 **He let out a deep sigh. "I don't have a particular choice for someone to win, but I do hope they all hold themselves with dignity in the future."**

 **0000**

"Thank God they're gone," Victini said, wiping his brow. "Those three man, dangerous."

Hariyama shrugged. "Could be worse. At least they aren't...Palkia."

"We DON'T TALK ABOUT PALKIA, MAN!" Victini said, his voice becoming shrill. "That's not cool man."

Hariyama shook his head. "Suicune was very pretty, though."

"Oh man she was a babe," Victini said with a wolf whistle. "Too bad she was sadistic. Man….this makes me miss the legends we already have."

"Like ME!?" Phione asked, leaping forward and wrapping him in a hug.

"No, not YOU!" Victini snarled, trying to break free. "Get off!"

0000

And that's all, folks!

So once again, quick thank you to Dark Arcanine. You were an awesome help, thanks!

And so Swampert left instead of Gallade. I liked Swampert, he's a good straight man for everyone else's shenanigans. I imagine him to be into Buddhism, and now I wish I had brought that into play with him.

Numbers begin to thin, so who will win?

Swampert: Ah, so I see it is finally my time. Review my good friends, and have a nice night.


	22. Chapter 22: Trekking for Treasure

Hey guys, back with another chapter!

So before we start, time to address the Guest Reviews!

Or uh one review. Just one. I'm not that popular guys. Oh how I wish I was popular…

Rainbow: I wish you had an account that I could send pms to, but your reviews are awesome! Glad you could enjoy my series so much!

Well without further ado, let's go!

0000

"Oh...hey….I got sent a mega stone," Grovyle said in surprised voice. "I guess if I evolve I can um….evolve again?"

"Well do you want to mega evolve?" Umbreon asked.

"Eh, don't really feel the need. How did you evolve anyway?" Grovyle asked.

Umbreon shrugged. "I listened to punk rock for twenty four hours straight. In my room. With the lights turned off."

Grovyle blinked. "Sounds boring."

Umbreon smiled blissfully. "It was the best twenty four hours of my life."

Sylveon shouted over. "Hey Umbreon? I got more letters from my family."

"I'll get the meat grinder," Umbreon said, walking away.

Grovyle snickered as Sylveon let out a sigh. "So how's Gallade doing?"

Grovyle shrugged. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're around him all the time," Sylveon said as if it were obvious. "If I didn't know any better…"

"Well you don't so shhh. Don't make mountains out of molehills, alright?"

Sylveon giggles. "Sounds like you're making excuses."

"And it sounds like YOU don't know when to shut up," Grovyle grumbled. "I liked it better when you were jittery."

Sylveon winked. "All right, I'll be quiet about it. But you know...Gallade isn't bad looking, If you don't hurry I might have to-"

"Arceus, I get it already!" Grovyle shouted, throwing up her arms. When she had left Grovyle shook her head in dismay. "Great. NOW she starts getting confident."

 **0000**

" **AAAAAH why did I say that!?" Sylveon asked, covering her blushing face with her paws. "This is the worst day of my life."**

 **0000**

"Are my parents mad at me or something?" Ivysaur asked. "Not that it matters, but they haven't sent anything in awhile."

"Crazy spirits are stealing them man," Infernape said, not looking up for the _Spoink's Illustrated_ he was reading.

"Well we live in a world where that's totally possible," Ivysaur said with a sigh. "And on top of that we have a challenge today. I swear I have a heart attack every time that stupid elimination ceremony rolls around."

"Do not worry mis amigos. The Elefante of the seven spanish swords will defend your honor," Donphan said in a husky voice.

"Ah! Don't do that man!" Infernape jumped. Ivysaur sighed. "So is this your new act? A spanish knight?"

"Yep," Donphan said. "I just need to learn how to play a spanish guitar for a kickass jingle."

"Well ask Munchlax to give you lessons, he's pretty good at that," Ivysaur muttered. "And speaking of him, are we going to keep working with him and his friends?"

Infernape gulped. "Um….maybe? I haven't really thought about it."

Ivysaur shrugged. "Well the more votes the merrier, right? They don't seem like bad guys. I kinda wanted to get to know them more anyway."

"S-sure, yeah. Sounds um….good. I need to go to the bathroom!" Infernape said suddenly, running off.

 **0000**

" **I miss the teams," Infernape said with a sigh. "Now everybody is weirding me out with all these plans and crap. Maybe calling the alliance together was a bad idea; I just wanted to have a fun time."**

 **0000**

"So you wanted to talk to me?" Zorua asked, an eyebrow raised. Scrafty was facing her, cigarette in hand.

"Out of curiosity, what's the deal with you and Ampharos? You seemed so intimidating as a competitor before, but now all you're doing is frolicking in the fields with him. It's disappointing to see my opponent throw away their chances at winning."

"That's really none of your business," Zorua snarled. "And I wouldn't antagonize me if I were you. I can get you out so fast that your head will spin!"

"Cool your jets hon," Scrafty said, raising his hands up in surrender. "My guess is you'll use Ampharos' alliance to target me, right?"

Zorua grit her teeth. He had called her bluff.

"Thing is, we both know that alliance can't go on any longer," Scrafty said. "I'm going to stop it, and this is a big opportunity for you. You and Ampharos can walk away from the wreckage as long as you stay out of my actions."

Zorua let out a low growl. The offer was definitely enticing. But still…"How can we trust you?"

"Because I need you and Ampharos' votes to follow through with this. You two play your cards right and you'll both end up with a place in the top ten. Easily."

Zorua sighed, making a decision she hoped she wouldn't forget. "Fine. You have a deal. You better not double cross me, though."

The two shook hands. Scrafty grinned at her. "Our treaty lasts for as long as the alliance stands. Then I'm going to beat the living tar out of you."

He turned and left, leaving Zorua alone. She took a deep breath. "Our treaty is gonna end long before the top ten, scumbag. And unlike Amphy and I, YOU won't be getting a spot."

0000

"Hey Shuckle, I think a computer is flirtin' with me," Bidoof said with a gulp. Shuckle looked over. "Holy crap dude, how did you attract data on a screen? How is that even possible?"

"Well she does have a nice voice," Bidoof said dreamily, blushing a little. Shuckle groaned.

"Have you seen Munchlax lately, man? He's been a little secluded lately," Shuckle said, wondering if he had imagined it.

"I haven't seen 'im very often either, come to think o' it," Bidoof said. "Maybe he's takin' dance lessons?"

"Well at the very least he's been acting very suspi-dance lessons? Really?" Shuckle asked, deadpanned.

"Yessiree Bob!" Bidoof exclaimed. "He's been learnin' dance lessons! he told me himself!"

Shuckle sighed. "Sure, why not. Well we'd better find him. All we really need to do is to leave out some food-"

"FOOD!" Munchlax shouted, sliding into the room. "I heard food!"

"Case in point," Shuckle said.

"CAMPERS! MEET US AT THE BEACH FOR YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE! WE HAVE SOME GOOD SURPRISES FOR YOU ALL!"

"Brilliant timing," Shuckle said with a sigh. "Well boys, we'd better get going."

Bidoof dragged his wagon away as Munchlax rubbed his arm, looking a little forlorn.

0000

"Wow," Slowking said, clearly impressed. "I wasn't expecting that."

The two boats from the very first challenge had been transformed into pirate ships. Two other boats were with them, and together they looked very intimidating.

As the other campers arrived, Victini cleared his throat. He himself was dressed up as Captain Jack Spearow, complete with eye liner. "Good morning lads! Welcome to your next challenge, ya scallywags."

"Dear merciful Manaphy that is a horrible accent," Umbreon muttered.

"Hahaha! You look like a fruit!" Tepig said, pointing and grinning.

"Y-you know what!? Screw all of you!" Victini shouted, throwing his hat on the ground. "I'm trying, okay!?"

"Yeah, trying to be a queer," Tepig muttered under his breath. Victini's eyes twitched.

"Someone punch him in the stomach," Victini said, closing his eyes in exasperation.

"SQUEAL!"

"Thank you Gallade," Victini said.

"Don't mention it," the quiet warrior said.

"So, before you ruin my enthusiasm, you guys are going on a treasure hunt!" Victini announced. "And if it wasn't obvious, you'll be taking these boats. As you know, there are quite a few islands around this one making it a.,,,,group of islands."

"Archipelago," Slowking corrected.

"Shut up Slowking," Victini growled. "You are not the host, so you don't get to decide what we call the group of islands."

Victini took out some treasure maps. "There will be four teams, so split into groups of four. One team will have five. Two of you will be heading to the Secret Skerry while the other two will go to Cofagrigus' Cove. The maps will lead you to some keys, and from there it's a race back to the island to claim some sweet prizes. Sound fun?"

"Sure, but what's the catch?" Charizard growled. "I'm expecting you to throw a twist in."

Victini sighed, shaking his head. "I'm becoming predictable. Two little twists for you guys. Number one, the ships are loaded with weapons for you to use. I'm fully expecting for you guys to sink some battleship. Secondly, there are only three keys on each island, not enough for everyone on one team. Some negotiations are going to have to happen! Any more questions?"

Nobody raised their hands. Each of them looked eager to begin picking partners.

"Then start team picking!" Victini said with a clap of his hands. "And make sure to have fun!"

 **0000**

" **We get to be pirates?" Shuckle asked rhetorically. "That's so cool! I've always wanted to be a sea captain!"**

 **0000**

 **Gallade folded his arms. "One word about my eyepatch and I'm killing someone. I don't care who it is."**

 **0000**

"So I guess it's us four then?" Ivysaur asked, looking over Donphan, Infernape and Ampharos.

"Can we invite Zorua too?" Ampharos asked awkwardly.

Infernape grinned. "Sure! We can be the team with five members!"

Zorua managed to force a smile. "Okay then, I guess. Um...let's go team? Woo?"

"Aww you're so cute when you're being socially awkward," Ampharos said with a dreamy grin."

Zorua blushed. "Quit it. We'd better pick up our map and get going though."

While some, including Shuckle's group were easily able to form a team, other individual campers were having trouble thinking of allies.

"Maybe we should team up with Sylveon and Umbreon?" Grovyle asked with a shrug. "They're nice girls."

Gallade simply shrugged, causing Grovyle to seethe at his attitude. Tepig sauntered over with his trademark grin.

"Got any room left, ladies?" Tepig asked, and Gallade's eye bugged out.

"NO!"

"Gallade-" Grovyle started, but Gallade wouldn't hear of it. The two started arguing as Tepig watched with a satisfied grin. He popped open a moomoo milk and started to drink.

Lucario walked over, curious at the source of the noise. Upon seeing Tepig, she rolled her eyes. "Oh come on Tepig, what did you cause this time?"

Tepig shrugged. "I have the slight feeling that Gallade might have a teensy tiny bit of a distaste for me. It's subtle though, you wouldn't be able to tell by looking."

Lucario rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Don't be a wiseass."

"Um….Umbreon?" Sylveon asked the dark type, who didn't seem very interested in the challenge.

"Maybe we should find the rest of our team. I don't want to be left alone with Tepig," she ended in a whisper.

Umbreon shrugged. "Fair enough. Who's left?"

"I am," Charizard muttered. "Just follow my lead and we'll win for sure. Got it?"

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "This isn't a dictatorship, Puff the Magic dick. I don't have to follow what you say."

Charizard grabbed her by the ear, lifting her up in the air. He threw her an intimidating look. Umbreon's glare was just defiant. "You will if you don't want your ass off this island. We can play good cop, or bad cop. Your choice."

Sylveon gulped. "Umbreon...you might want to listen to him…"

Umbreon finally relented, rolling her eyes. "Whatever." Charizard immediately dropped her.

"Good. Then we'll win this for sure."

 **0000**

 **Charizard folded his arms. "I hate rebels like her. They act like complete pieces of shit, but when you show dominance they crumble."**

 **His eyes narrowed. "Discipline is important to being a good leader. When they fail to meet your expectations, you punish them. That's how it works. And if they get in the way of my search they're ALL going to be punished."**

 **0000**

"C'mon dude, just ask him. He's only a Pokemon," Munchlax whispered. Shuckle sighed.

"But he's so smart and intimidating and out of our league. Can't you guys go with me?"

"It was you're idea so you get to ask him!" Bidoof said with a nod. "You get the honor!"

"Besides, he was supposed to be part of the alliance anyway," Munchlax explained. "He's practically guaranteed to say yes."

"Alright I'm going," Shuckle said with a gulp. He crawled over to where Slowking was snoozing.

"Slowking?" Shucke asked, trying to keep hesitation out of his tone. Slowking opened an eye. "Oh hello Shuckle."

"Yeah. Hi. Er do you remember back when you were a Slowpoke?"

Slowking's expression darkened. "It was awful. I went through life without reason or a purpose, and I was too stupid to ever reflect on that. My psychic powers tried to give me information that I could not comprehend. It was a prison, a prison I was too stupid to overcome."

"Then I came!" Shellder said with a wink.

"Well back when you were a Slowpoke you were part of our alliance," Shuckle explained. "Then you switched teams and evolved. So….do you….I mean I was sort of hoping if you could….?"

Slowking raised an eyebrow. "Join your alliance?"

"Please do," Shuckle affirmed.

"Well...er….that's very flattering," Slowking said with a groan. "But….you see when I evolved I sort of-"

"Outcooled us?" Shuckle asked in a dull voice. "Outgrew us?"

"That, yes."

Shuckle sighed. "I understand. Could we maybe just team up for this challenge then?"

Slowking winced. "Well…..the three of you aren't really….my type. Except Bidoof, he is funny."

"Woohoo!" Bidoof called over from where he was hiding with Munchlax.

"Okay, if we make it we'll give you a key," Shuckle said.

"Deal," Slowking said, caving. "In fact, give me two keys."

"Why would you want two keys?" Shuckle asked.

"That isn't important. YAWWWN, let's visit the rest of our team, shall we?"

Bidoof and Munchlax hopped up and down at the news, squealing in happiness.

Slowking groaned. "Why did I agree to this?"

0000

"Are you two done arguing?" Lucario asked. "Because you guys have to work with Tepig anyway. We're the only Pokemon not part of a team at this point."

Gallade took a deep breath. "Fine."

"Why do you hate me so much anyway?" Tepig asked. "You weren't the one that got beaten so bad that you lost proper bladder control."

"Tepig...we didn't need to hear that," Grovyle said.

Lucario nodded, trying to take Grovyle's side. "Can we just get through this challenge together? Then we can all go back to hating Tepig in peace."

The others muttered assent, including Tepig.

 **0000**

" _ **Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a pirate's life for me,"**_ **Bidoof sang.**

 **0000**

 **Lucario shook her head. "You know, before this challenge I actually liked pirates."**

 **0000**

" _ **Do you want, 'cause a pirate lives free,**_

 _ **You are a pirate!"**_ **Bidoof continued to sing.**

 **0000**

" **I don't care much about the prizes, to be totally honest," Scrafty admitted. "I don't want any unnecessary attention, thank you very much."**

 **0000**

" **ARE YA READY KIDS!?" Bidoof belted out.**

 **0000**

"So everyone is boarded up on their ships and we've listened to Bidoof sing practically every pirate song out there. You guys have any last minute questions before we leave?" Victini asked in a bored voice.

"Yeah," Donphan said, sounding annoyed. "Why are there motors? Doesn't that defeat the purpose a tad? Carbón."

"I'm not wasting time teaching you how to man a pirate ship. But by all means, try! It'll be funny at the very least, I'll give you that."

Donphan pouted. "Fine I'll take the motor," he mumbled.

The campers took off on their separate ships after deciding the captain. Ivysaur was quickly elected as the navigator because of his old experience from the first challenge. Tepig showed off a license that had expired eight years prior, leading him to be placed as far away from the helm as possible, and Charizard claimed the throne 'no questions asked'. Scrafty didn't seem to care and Sylveon was too nervous to object, but Charizard still saw Umbreon glaring daggers at him.

Slowking took the helm as Shuckle, Munchlax and Bidoof didn't know how. He looked at the map in his hand and nodded. He was heading to Cofagrigus' Cove, which apparently was a far shorter trip than the Secret Skerry. Still...he remembered that island was very unsettling.

"Shuckle, do you know who else is heading on this route?" Slowking asked.

Shuckle nodded, looking out of the telescope. "It's Charizard's group!"

Slowking nodded. "Stay out of their way for now and let them through first when we get to the island. I don't trust that cove, so they're going to clear a path for us."

"Uh well that might be a bit hard to do Slowking," Munchlax piped up.

"And why is that?"

"Because they're turning the other way."

Slowking's eyes widened, and he ran over to the side of the boat. "What?"

0000

"Charizard, what the hell are we doing?" Scrafty asked as Charizard steered the pirate ship around.

"We're not heading to the cove just yet," he muttered. "There's something I have to settle with Gallade first."

"Whoa pal, challenge first. Interrogation later," Scrafty argued.

"No, I'm the captain and we're doing this my way," Charizard growled. "Gallade should have left last challenge, but he didn't. If he wins immunity tonight who knows what he'll accomplish?"

Scrafty shrugged. "How the hell am I supposed to-?"

"I know my share of scum, psychopaths, sociopaths, murderers, criminals. Gallade is clearly one of them. The longer he stays the more danger he is to this community. You saw him last challenge, he's unstable. He nearly killed some of you."

"Not any of us," Sylveon said, though she immediately looked like she regretted it. "I-I think you might be exaggerating Charizard."

"If any of you have any qualms that's fine," Charizard said loudly. "Jump ship, I don't care. Or you can try to fight me. But spoiler alert it won't end up well for you."

Umbreon snorted. "Didn't I beat your ass in the-" Sylveon jabbed her in the ribs to shut her up. "We're with you, Charizard."

Charizard grinned. "Thank you, Sylveon. Glad to see SOME OF YOU can be reasonable."

He steered directly towards Gallade's ship, passing by an astonished Slowking in his own ship.

"Hi guys!" Bidoof said, waving at them. "Hi Umbreon, we gonna hang out soon?"

"Your funeral," Umbreon muttered darkly.

"She's like my best friend," Bidoof said, nudging Munchlax, who sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Slowking asked in surprise, but Charizard shook his head.

"Stay out of it. We're just playing the part of pirates like Victini wanted. I'm sure it'll be great for ratings or whatever."

Slowking raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, I won't stop you. More time for me to win the challenge."

"Us, Slowking, it's a team," Shuckle reminded.

"Right us, that's what I meant. As in, not me."

The two passed each other, with Umbreon giving Sylveon a confused look. "Why did you stop me? Don't tell me that you AGREE with his stupid plan."

"Of course not," Sylveon said, sounding offended. "But if we try to stop him he'll light the boat on fire. Jeez think ahead, Umbreon."

Umbreon snorted. "Ignoring that, has he always been like this? He just seems so domineering and obnoxious."

"No, he wasn't like that at all when we were on the same team. He could be a little grumpy but he was never THIS bad," Sylveon said with a shudder. "It's like he's a full on tyrant."

"Hold on a second," Umbreon said. "Where is Scrafty?"

They looked around, but Scrafty was nowhere to be found. Umbreon growled. "Don't tell me…"

Scrafty was hanging off the anchor of Slowking's boat. When Sylveon and Umbreon gaped at him he simply gave a wink and a salute.

"That...BASTARD!" Umbreon snarled.

 **0000**

" **I hate the Zany Zangoose," Charizard admitted. "The Sevipers weren't the brightest sometimes, but at least they followed orders. But the Zangeese were wild and undisciplined. They did they want and kicked out their leaders when they didn't like them. That is not acceptable at all."**

 **Charizard folded his arms. "Teams or not, I will be the leader, because I have the authority, and that's why I'm going to win."**

 **0000**

"You….really like exercise, huh?" Grovyle asked lazily as she watched Lucario jog in place. The fighting type nodded.

"Yeah, I get pretty restless. Being on a boat doesn't help, I feel cramped."

"Oy! Can I get a chance to steer yet?" Tepig asked.

"No!" Grovyle snapped back.

"But Gallade doesn't even have hands! Also he only has one eye. C'mon sheila I promise not to drive us into rocks."

"Tepig if you want to be useful, look for danger," Lucario said, rolling her eyes. "Like sharks or pirates or something mythical."

"C'mon that's way too easy, there are pirates heading straight towards us."

"Wait hold on, what?" Grovyle asked, running over to the side of the boat. Charizard was at the helm of another boat, grinning evilly.

"Hey Lucario, do we have cannons?" Grovyle asked Lucario, wide eyed.

Lucario cocked her head to the side. "Why would we need can-NAH!" A cannon ball struck the side of the boat, throwing them off balance.

"Well it seems like THEY have cannons!" Tepig called down.

"Not helping!" Lucario shouted, ducking low. "At least we finally get a good fight though."

"Are you crazy?" Grovyle asked. "Gallade just get us out of-"

Charizard took to the skies, roaring in challenge. Umbreon had taken over the helm, giving the dragon a chance to pursue the other boat.

Gallade spun around with a growl. "There are cannons below deck. Tepig will you hold him off for a moment while Lucario and Grovyle grab them?"

Tepig winked. "Of course mate, like taking candy from a Happiny."

He leaped off the crow's nest, flying through the air and landing a vicious headbutt. Charizard's head jerked back, but he caught Tepig by the tail and swung him around. "You're dead, pig."

With a grunt he threw Tepig back to the boat, where he slammed into Grovyle, knocking them both back. Lucario swore, sprinting below deck as Gallade dropped the anchor with an irritated huff. "I didn't mean for a literal moment!"

Charizard slammed onto the deck of the ship, facing Gallade. The one eye'd psychic edged forward, his blades at the ready.

A fireball formed in Charizard's mouth. "You're a mental defective, and you need to be stopped."

Gallade sighed, looking like it pained him to speak. "I already apologized for what happened last challenge. I was hoping we could put it behind us. You weren't even one of the ones that were hurt."

"Dosen't matter how sorry you are," Charizard muttered. "That doesn't change your actions."

"Don't YOU have a mega stone?" Gallade asked, his hands crossed. 'I feel that you of all Pokemon could relate-"

"I am NOTHING like you!" Charizard snarled, swinging his tail. Gallade blocked the strike with a low growl. "Then we have nothing more to say to each other."

An aura sphere connected with Charizard's face, knocking him off the boat. He caught himself in the air, swooping to the side to avoid a cannon shot.

Lucario and Grovyle were manning two cannons, both with grins on their faces as Tepig lit them with snorts from his nose.

Charizard's eyes widened as he was forced to abandon his pursuit, flying backwards. Some of the cannons shot past him and struck his own boat, but a pink barrier formed, protecting it as the cannon balls simply bounced off.

"Damn it!" Charizard yelled back to the rest of his team. "Fight back! We can't lose this battle!"

0000

"Sylveon, can you fire any faster?" Umbreon asked as she kept the boat going forward.

"I'm trying!" Sylveon gasped. "But holding up a barrier and gathering cannonballs is really taxing? Can't you help?"

"Just keep holding your own," Umbreon said, trying to sound soothing. "I'll get us close enough to board. Only we're outnumbered because Scrafty is an asshole."

Sylveon sighed. "What else is new?"

0000

"Wow….there is some serious fighting going on here," Infernape said with a nervous chuckle. "Glad I'm not there."

"Just focus on going forward. We'll get keys for sure," Zorua said from where she was sitting on Ampharos' lap.

"Wow...it's gonna be awesome to actually win a challenge for once," Ivysaur said in excitement. "Usually we're all freaked out that one of us will be voted. Off."

Ampharos smiled down at Zorua. "The more time to spend with you, the better."

Zorua's stared at him with a heavy blush.

 **0000**

" **Why do the cheesiest lines from Ampharos get me flustered?" Zorua asked, her blush not having faded. "God I love him."**

 **0000**

"Well we're here," Slowking said with slight trepidation as he, Shuckle, Bidoof and Munchlax walked down to the beach of the cove. It was as creepy as it always was, and Shuckle shivered.

"Well where does the map say to go?" Munchlax asked.

Slowking unfurled it and took a look. "Ah….damn it that's clever."

"What is?" Bidoof asked.

"Victini only gave us half of the means the other group that was sent here-"

"Must have the other half. Dammit!" Shuckle snapped.

"Relax. We have a head start, and they're as blind as we are," Slowking explained in a soothing voice. "If we get to work now we'll find it eventually."

"I don't know man, I don't think I want to wander around, this place is messed up."

Slowking folded his arms. "Then what do we propose we do?"

Shuckle raised an arm. "Well I have an idea. Compared to the rest of the cast, we tend to um...come up short. But if we sneak attacked them while they're distracted with Gallade…"

Slowking shook his head. " It could work, but that would be ruining our advantage."

Shuckle shook his head. "Not exactly. Slowking, if you stay here you can do your best to find the treasure on your own. We'll just multitask."

"If you're sure…" Slowking said with a shrug. "The three of you will be alright on the water?"

"We'll be fine. Just be careful, this island is hella creepy," Munchlax said anxiously.

 **0000**

" **Shuckle is actually very smart," Slowking admitted. "I have faith in his plan."**

 **0000**

"Alright gang!" Shuckle announced as the boat glided over the water. "If we work together with Gallade to defeat Charizard, we'll-"

"No," Munchlax growled. 

"Come again?" Shackle asked as Munchlax grabbed the steering wheel from him.

"We're not teaming up with Gallade," Munchlax said, his voice cold. "We're getting revenge for last challenge. For my dick."

Bidoof and Shackle shared a nervous look. "Whatever you say, dude."

 **0000**

" **Munchlax is scarin' me," Bidoof mumbled.**

 **0000**

Gallade was on the crow's nest, shooting off psycho cuts at Charizard as he flew around in circles, occasionally lunging in for an attack. Sylveon and Umbreon fought together below, outnumbered against Tepig, Grovyle and Lucario.

Sylveon unleashed a dazzling gleam that Lucario ducked under, the jackal responding with several punches and kicks that Sylveon leaped back to dodge.

Tepig was still disoriented and hurt from the last challenge, so Umbreon succeeded in knocking him down earlier in the fight. Grovyle aimed vicious slashes with her leaf blades.

Lucario landed a kick onto Sylveon, sending her sliding back. "Ow!" She muttered, rubbing her jaw.

"Sorry was that too hard for you?" Lucario taunted with a smirk.

Sylveon narrowed her eyes. "Don't mock me!"

She shot out her ribbons and they wrapped around Lucario's arm. She stumbled back, worried, but Sylveon narrowed her eyes and the ribbons twisted and tightened, trapping Lucario in a bow and causing her to look like a wrapped present.

"Merry christmas," Sylveon said, walking past with a whistle and leaving a livid Lucario trying to break free.

 **0000**

" **Honestly is there anyone in this damn show that I haven't lost a fight too yet?"**

 **Lucario asked, exasperated. "I have to admit that was pretty impressive, though."**

 **0000**

 **Sylveon shrugged. "I'm the best at wrapping presents in my family. This is just what came natural to me."**

 **0000**

Umbreon slid back, wincing pain from the power of Grovyle's x-scissor. She responded with a shadow ball shot from her mouth, but the blast missed Grovyle as she rolled under it, peppering the dark type with bullet seeds.

"So care to explain why you're trying to destroy our ship?" Grovyle asked, swinging down a leaf blade. Umbreon rolled to the side to avoid the attack.

"Charizard is a jackass pretty much," she said, preparing a dark pulse.

"Hey Umbreon, need help?" Sylveon asked, running over. Umbreon gave her a sideways grin. "I won't stop you from trying."

"Wait how did YOU beat Lucario?" Grovyle asked, mystified.

"Let's just say she's….all tied up?" Sylveon said, though she got a little shy around the end. "Er...I mean.."

"No sheila, you got there," Tepig said, rising to his feet. "Just show a bit more confidence and you'll be a comedian in no time."

Grovyle sighed. "Tepig, you take Umbreon. Sylveon's mine."

"Brilliant plan, have me fight the one who just beat me," Tepig drawled.

"Will you stop being an asshole for five seconds and-" Gallade suddenly fell to the deck, Charizard finally managing to knock him off the crow's nest. He managed to land on his hands and backflip a split second before Charizard crashed where he had been a second ago. His expression was enraged, and fire burst out of his mouth.

"I've had ENOUGH of you, Gallade!" Charizard roared. "Creeping around with that horrible eyepatch, acting like a crazy Pokemon! Last challenge was the final straw. You don't belong here, so I'm going to make sure you get the justice you deserve!"

"What are you going on about?" Gallade hissed. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Don't play dumb!" Charizard barked. "I know your background and I know you were behind that heist!"

"Wait….heist?" Grovyle asked. "Gallade that's not true, is it?"

"Of course it's not," Gallade spat. "I don't even know what he's talking about."

"A sun stone, moon stone, a fire stone, water stone, thunder stone, and other various items," Charizard announced. "All of them were reported stolen, and it had to have been a psychic type who did it, because no handprints were found. There was even psychic energy wafting through the room."

Gallade snorted. "That's hardly proof-"

"But you know what was funny?" Charizard asked rhetorically. "The thief eventually was forced to abandon his 'earnings', and the stones were recovered. But rather curiously, though a dawn stone was reported stolen it was _never found._ I wonder why that could be?"

He looked triumphant, as though he had won. Gallade stumbled back, looking like he was under attack. "I-I.."

"SORRY CHARIZARD, BUT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WAIT!" Screamed a voice. Everyone whirled around to find Munchlax driving the ship forward with a bloodthirsty look in his eye. The boat was on course for collision….

"What the hell?" Charizard asked.

SMASH!

 **0000**

 **Scrafty breathed a sigh of relief. "Glad I dodged that bullet."**

 **0000**

"We're here!" Infernape announced to his friends as they arrived at the beach of the Secret Skerry. "Land ahoy!"

"Finally, I get seasick super easily," Zorua groaned, sitting on Ampharos' shoulders as they walked down the gangplank.

"That's funny," Ivysaur said, reading the map in his vines. "This map feels incomplete."

"Huh?" Infernape looked it over. "What do you mean?"

"Well it leads into the forest but it doesn't give us any directions after that," Ivysaur explained. "Weird huh?"

"Then there's one thing left to do," Infernape said in a husky voice. Everyone looked at him.

"Split up and look for clues, gang!" Infernape announced.

0000

Slowking focused his mind, but eventually he was forced to stop, clutching his head in annoyance. "It's just like before. Something is interfering with my psychic powers, making me disoriented."

"Yeah, mine aren't working either," Shellder piped up.

"Maybe I should just take a nap and wait for someone…." Slowking flopped down on the beach, trying to get comfortable despite the creepy demeaner of Cofagrigus' Cove."

"Hold it, Sleeping Beauty. I have a plan." Slowking turned around, lazily staring at Scrafty.

"How did you….?" Slowking started, but Scrafty raised a hand to stop him.

"I stowed away on your ship, but that ain't important right now. I happen to have with me Charizard's half of the map."

"Wow," Slowking said, impressed. "So I suppose you want to work together to find the treasure?"

"Of course man," Scrafty said. "And with both sides of the map it'll be really easy."

"Very well then," Slowking agreed. "I do trust you won't double cross me?"

"Pssh of course not. I know well enough not to have you as an enemy," Scrafty said, waving a hand to brush him off. "Now come on, I actually want to survive another challenge."

Slowking shrugged in disbelief, but got up and followed all the same.

 **0000**

" **Why is he trying to flatter me?" Slowking asked. "Is he up to something or is he seriously afraid of me?"**

 **0000**

"Wow I forgot how pretty this place is," Ivysaur said as he looked around at the scenery. "Compared to the island we live at, this is nice."

"Yeah dude, lot's of foliage or whatever," Infernape said, not really paying attention. "Hey Ivysaur? Real talk."

Ivysaur raised an eyebrow. "Sure man. What's up?"

"Do you think I'm a good leader?" Infernape asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "Cuz like….I feel like you all are smarter then me….and I'm not good at strategy or whatever."

"Infernape, you're fine. You're one of the nicest guys on the island, everyone wants to be your friend," Ivysaur soothed. "You might be indecisive, but you definitely mean well and you're empathetic."

"Well yeah…and I like being everyone's friend," Infernape admitted slowly. "But Charizard told me I should….reel you guys in more? Maybe he's right, but I don't like being some disciplinarian. I just want to have fun."

"So have fun, that never stopped you before," Donphan admitted on Infernape's other side, causing the monkey to jump. "We're not an offical team, we're just a bunch of friends having fun."

"Oh okay….awesome!" Infernape said, the fire back in his eyes. "Only rule? HAVE AS MUCH FUN AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN!"

Donphan and Ivysaur laughd at Infernape's returned happy-go-lucky nature. He had been subdued for a little while.

"Hey guys!" Ampharos voice called. "We found the keys!"

When they arrived, Ampharos and Zorua were eying the three keys happily. Zorua looked like she really wanted to take one.

"Oh so um...who should get them?" Ivysaur asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"Dibs!" Infernape called, snatching one of them up.

"Hey that's not-" Zorua protested, but Ivysaur and Donphan shook their heads gravely.

"Rule of dibs. He got it fair and square."

Zorua rolled her eyes. "Fine. Ampharos, you take one."

"Oh," Ampharos said in surprise. "I assumed you would want one instead?"

Zorua fought the urge to agree with him, but managed to swallow it down. "Meh. It's fine, you found it first anyway."

"Aww thanks, Zorua," Ampharos said, giving her a kiss on the cheek, causing her to blush so hard she looked like a tomato. "Really sweet of you."

"Y-you're welcome," she stuttered, as Ivysaur and Donphan argued over who would get it.

"Fine how about rock paper scissors?" Ivysaur suggested.

Donphan shrugged. "Bueno, ¿por qué no?"

The two prepared for it as the other three watched.

 **0000**

" **How the hell was Donphan able to make paper with a trunk?" Ampharos asked, mystified.**

 **0000**

Everyone groaned and rose to their feet, having been knocked over when the boat had slammed into the one they were on. Gallade stumbled around, a little disoriented.

"How the hell did-"

Munchlax shot forward in a spinning kick. "THIS IS FOR M'DICK!"

His foot smashed against Gallade's head, crumbling the psychic type and knocking him overboard. Bidoof fired a cannon that caught Lucario in the chest, blasting her into the mast and bowling her over.

Charizard roared and flew towards, whose bravado had completely vanished. He gulped, curling into fetal position.

"I'm sorry I just wanted to get revenge on Gallade please don't kill me," he whimpered, before Charizard swung his tail, striking Munchlax and in the stomach. The force of the dragon tail blasted Munchlax back onto his own ship as Shackle tried not to panic.

"Right we may have bitten off more than we could chew," he gulped as Charizard made a beeline for them.

Further away, Infernape and his gang slipped by, hoping to make it past the fight without any trouble. It was eventually Sylveon who noticed them, and she pointed at their boat.

"Hey, I think they have the keys! They're heading back!"

"Really? Why the hell am I doing all the work?" Charizard snarled as he slammed Shuckle and Bidoof's heads together. "Stop sitting on your hands, and help!"

"Well we don't have wings like you do!" Sylveon called back. "And maybe instead of beating up pre evolutions you can chase after the real threats?"

"She has a point y'know," Bidoof muttered from in his grip, sporting a black eye. Charizard dropped him and scowled. "When did you become such a wiseass, Sylveon?"

Umbreon headbutted Tepig away, before grinning sheepishly. "I may not have been the greatest influence on her."

Charizard ignored them, shooting off towards the fleeing boat.

0000

Gallade burst out of the water, pulling himself up. He was sitting on a dingy with Slowking and Scrafty. They gave him surprised looks.

"Hey Gallade did you get thrown overboard during the battle?" Scrafty asked, tossing him a key.

Gallade's eye widened as he looked it over, not believing his luck. "I-uh….thank you."

"No big deal, pal. You can pay me back by voting with me for the next couple of challenges," Scrafty said with a shrug.

Slowking coughed. "Who knocked you overboard anyway? Was it Charizard? Umbreon? Lucario?"

Gallade looked down. "I don't want to talk about it."

0000

"Jeez Charizard looks REALLY pissed off!" Ampharos gulped as he shot off electrical blasts. Charizard weaved through them with ease, slowly gaining on the boat.

"We need to lighten up the boat!" Infernape crowed. He grabbed the crate with the keys inside and prepared to throw it over.

"NO!" Donphan and Zorua yelled, and Ivysaur slapped his arm with a vine.

"No!" He reprimanded. "Bad Infernape. You almost cost us the challenge."

Realization dawned on Infernape's face. "Ohhhh right. Wow sorry I….jeez dodged a bullet there."

"It's alright, but this is what we talked about," Ivysaur said. "This is where you think before you act…"

"No you're right I-I screwed up," Infernape said.

"-Really should work on that yeah." Ivysaur finished. "OH SHIT I'm supposed to be steering the boat!"

SMASH!

The boat crashed against the beach in front of Victini, exploding for good measure. Ampharos, Donphan, Ivysaur and Infernape went flying off in different directions, and Charizard was forced to pause at the brilliant flash of light.

Debris fell, but Victini shot a thin beam of fire that incinerated in midair, not even paying attention to where he was firing. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine," Ivysaur mumbled, buried in the sand. He popped up. "And we got the keys!"

Victini grinned. "Then show em here, and you'll each get a chest to open."

Ampharos, Donphan, and Infernape all held up their keys in victory.

Victini grinned and gave them a thumbs up. "That checks out. Funny, you guys completed this a lot faster than we thought. I was expecting more bickering and falling out."

The team shared high fives and even Zorua looked happy, though she was still a little embarrassed

 **0000**

" **I-I have a lot to thank Ampharos for,** " **Zorua admitted. "He introduced me to all of his friends and...it's nice to feel wanted, you know?"**

 **0000**

" **It's great to see Zorua happier," Ampharos admitted. "I think that's why I was so interested in her at first. She just seemed so miserable and unhappy that I had to help."**

 **He blushed, but kept smiling. "I've always been laid back. I joined the competition to have fun, and Zorua is um….really fun to be with."**

 **0000**

"Ugh whatever," Charizard grumbled, touching the ground. "You guys did well, I admit. But aren't there more-"

"Keys, yes," Slowking said, stretching back as Scrafty and Gallade walked out of the dingy, keys in hand. "Good thing there was a dingy on the island or we might have been trapped there."

Charizard gaped. "How did you-?"

"Snuck aboard Slowking's ship. While you were playing Blackbeard. It was pretty badass," Scrafty said with a shrug.

"It was, admittedly," Slowking agreed.

"That's insubordination!" Charizard growled. "And it won't-"

"Oh shut up. Challenge is over, Napoleon. You don't get to be dictator anymore," Scrafty argued.

"To be perfectly honest I think Napoleon isn't whiny enough," Tepig said as the remaining campers arrived at the beach. "Or desperate enough for attention."

Charizard just silently fumed.

 **0000**

 **Charizard slammed his fist against the wall, before taking a deep breath. "I suppose I shouldn't be too angry. I DID go a bit too far in this challenge, but I NEEDED to challenge Gallade. With any luck he'll have aroused enough suspicion to be voted off."**

 **He shook his head. "I'm mostly angry about Scrafty outsmarting me. That leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I'll show them who's whiny…"**

 **He proceeded to grumble incoherently.**

 **0000**

The six campers who had won themselves keys stood on a podium, looking eager.

Victini leaned back in a high chair. "See what you won, and then we can go vote someone off. The guys who get keys have immunity, yadda yadda."

Slowking opened his chest with his mind, turning the lock with telekinesis. He found himself with the award of some sleeping pills.

"How ironic," he muttered, snatching them with his mind.

"Is...is this the best you could do?" Scrafty asked, pulling out a gift basket. He looked over a certificate. "Oh sweet...I can't be voted off next challenge."

Infernape giggled, raising up a bunch of DVDs with zombies displayed on the cover. "Looks like we're having a Walking Dodrio marathon!"

Donphan pulled out a cassette tape. "What is this ancient technology?"

"Hey," Victini protested. "The '60s were an awesome time period. Way better then the 80s anyway! Total hips-"

Gallade opened his case to reveal…...a lifetime's supply of beanie babies. "I….what?"

"I'LL TAKE THEM!" Munchlax announced, grabbing a handful and running off with them.

"He collects," Shuckle explained to a confused Lucario.

Ampharos grinned at his friends, before finally snapping open his own chest. His eyes narrowed as he read a piece of paper.

"What's that?" Zorua asked, smiling.

"Dear contestant in question," Ampharos read allowed. "Your award is a chance to see your friends and family."

Zorua's grin slipped off her face. "Wait...that's not…."

"In other words, you've been automatically eliminated," Ampharos read. His shoulders sagged.

The others looked unhappy at the news.

"No way," Infernape whispered.

"H-hey it's okay," Ampharos said, trying to sound upbeat, though he looked like he was upset. "We all have to go sometime right? I'll uh...go pack up my bags."

Victini frowned. "That sucks, dude. That counts as our elimination for the day then. Sorry for the surprise boot off, but I thought it would bring up the drama factor and um….it looks like I may have gone too far. Er….sorry about that."

"It's fine man, thanks for having me on your show," Ampharos said, bumping Victini's fist. "I'll go pack my bags."

 **0000**

" **Sucks to be Ampharos, but at least it isn't me," Lucario admitted. "Though Scrafty getting immunity is annoying."**

 **0000**

" **This sucks!" Donphan moaned.**

 **0000**

 **Zorua screamed, kicking the walls of the confessional.**

 **0000**

As Ampharos walked out with his packed bags, Donphan, Ivysaur, Infernape and Bidoof tackled him. "Group hug!"

"You guys will do awesome," Ampharos said with a laugh. "I may be going but we still won the challenge right?"

"My dear amigo, voy a vengar tu muerte," Donphan said in a husky voice.

"I'm sure your acting career will turn out great," Ampharos said with a wink. Zorua walked up hesitantly.

"I-I'm sorry Ampharos," she muttered. "If you hadn't taken the key from me then you wouldn't-"

"Hey," Ampharos interrupted her. "How is that your fault? You had no way of knowing-wait are you crying?"

"Sh-shut up," Zorua gasped out, wiping away a tear. "You see what you do to me? UGGGGH I HATE you!"

"Awww c'mere," Ampharos said, wrapping her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry to upset you. Maybe after you win we can um...meet up somewhere?"

Zorua sighed. "Sure whatever. I don't like you THAT much!"

"Says the crying girl," Tepig shouted from off to the side.

"TEPIG I SWEAR TO ARCEUS I'M GOING TO MURDER YOU!" Zorua snarled.

Ampharos sighed. "Well I'd better be going. Good luck Zorua, I know you win; you're the smartest girl I know."

 **0000**

 **Ampharos looked a little upset. "I hate leaving Zorua like that but...she's strong. If she or Donphan wins that would be awesome."**

 **He grinned. "I had a great time, and I'd rather leave this way then be voted off. I'd like to think that the gang wouldn't want to chuck me off the island if they had a choice."**

 **0000**

Grovyle faced Gallade, looking hesitant. "Hey um...can I talk to you about something?"

"Ask away," Gallade muttered.

"Charizard made a lot of accusations and made some good points," Grovyle admitted. "And...it would make sense that someone so desperate for money wouldn't-"

"I didn't DO it!" Gallade snapped. Grovyle went pale. Gallade took a deep breath and rose.

"You know after what happened, I was sure that you would be the one to have faith in me," Gallade muttered, his expression hurt.

"Gallade, I-"

"Just leave me alone," he said, walking away.

Grovyle sighed, flopping down. "I don't know what to think Gallade. But you're sure as hell aren't making it easy to believe you.

0000

Ugh that didn't feel right. I don't know guys how did it come out? I think the spark is gone, to be completely honest.

Ampharos leaves in a SHOCKING twist that you guys probably saw coming.

Hmm...I'm in a mood today, huh.

Welp, this is probably the last chapter of 2016, not sure what else to say! But the road to the top 10 draws closer…

See ya then! 


	23. Chapter 23: Stupid is As Stupid Does

0000

"Hey Bidoof…." Shuckle said, clearing his throat to get his friend's attention. The gopher was giggling over a letter from Nike. The two had apparently been communicating ever since the haunted mansion challenge. "Have you talked to Munchlax recently?"

Bidoof shook his head. "No sir! He's been pretty strange lately."

"I noticed too," Shuckle said. "I haven't seen him at all these past few days. Think he's avoiding us?"

"Hmm…." Bidoof cocked his head to the side. "Well he HAS been hangin' around Scrafty…."

"WHAT!?" Shuckle asked, looking stunned.

Bidoof blinked. "Is that a problem?"

"Wh-yeah of course it's a problem!" Shuckle shouted. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Well, it never came up," Bidoof said.

Shuckle took a deep breath. "Bidoof, Scrafty is our enemy. If he gets his way, then he'll divide and eliminate us."

"So then why is Munchlax talkin' to him?" Bidoof asked.

"Exactly!" Shuckle exclaimed. "We're going to have a conversation right now. Arceus, sometimes I feel like I'm the only one in this trio that does anything."

He hopped down from the lunch table. "Now put me in the wagon and drag me over to Munchlax so I can give him a piece of my mind."

Bidoof giggled. "Sure thing, Shuckle."

0000

"What are you guys watching?" Grovyle asked, walking into the lounge. Ivysaur, Infernape and even Lucario were sitting on the big couch, watching the TV.

"Hariyama's old wrestling matches," Infernape said. "He was really good."

"Wait…is that Groudon?" Grovyle asked.

The 2,000-pound Continent Pokemon was getting his red ass handed to him by Hariyama.

"That's insane," Grovyle said, sitting down next to Lucario, who was watching the fight with an expression of awe.

"Y'know what's even greater?" Infernape said in a rhetorical question. "This came out three hundred years ago."

"Bullshit," Lucario said, folding her arms.

"I'm serious!" Infernape said. "Rumor has it that Hariyama did a favor for Ho-oh once. So, the bird gives him eternal life. But only if every full moon he drinks from that hip flask he always has with him."

"Where did you hear this story?" Grovyle asked.

"I dunno," Infernape said with a shrug. "Anyway, we were just trying to cheer up Ivysaur. He's been pretty stressed out recently."

Ivysaur sighed. "My parents are being super passive aggressive. They just stop contacting me when I do something to annoy them. They aren't sending care packages anymore."

"Well, what did you do?" Lucario asked.

"That's the thing, I don't know!" Ivysaur said, waving his vines. "It's just…. sometimes my dad…. well he's a business man, right? He doesn't like my um…mild disposition."

"Aw…we love ya for it though, bro," Infernape said, patting him on the head.

"Oh right…" Ivysaur said, as if seeing Grovyle for the first time. He shared a glance with Infernape, who gave him an encouraging nod. "Grovyle it's good you came. We were wondering if you could maybe talk to Zorua….?"

Grovyle raised an eyebrow. "Why would I wanna do that?"

"She's been depressed for the past couple of days," Lucario chimed in. "Ampharos leaving really hit her hard."

"So why is this my problem?" Grovyle asked, folding her arms.

"Because you're totally an awesome manipulator!" Infernape exclaimed.

"Mediator," Ivysaur muttered.

"That, yes."

Lucario cleared her throat. "You helped cheer up Minccino a while back. AND you've gotten Gallade to talk to you…which none of us have ever managed."

"Not anymore," Grovyle pouted. "He's been avoiding me."

"C'mon Grovyle, please?" Infernape begged. "We'll let you join our-"

Ivysaur slapped him with a vine.

"S-SOWING CIRCLE! Join our KNITTING CLUB!" Infernape gasped out, catching himself.

"Fine…ya big weirdo," Grovyle said, waving her arms in surrender. "I'll talk to the fox. She'll probably just bitch at me the whole time."

 **0000**

" **Why do I even bother?" Ivysaur asked to himself. "It's not exactly hard to figure out that we're in an alliance. I'm sure SOMEONE'S deciphered it right now."**

 **0000**

Gallade sat alone in his hamlet, concentrating. The stabs of fear that had recently been haunting him had turned into a constant pain. He could no longer afford to lurk in the shadows. Charizard was onto him, and he couldn't trust Grovyle to bail him out.

He had no qualms about what he was about to do. Kirlia's life was at stake, so as far as he was concerned the end justified the means.

"First Charizard. Then some drastic measures must ensue," Gallade murmured to himself.

He'd save Kirlia. No matter the cost.

0000

Zorua was flopped over on a tree stump, doodling a little. Grovyle approached cautiously, wondering how in hell she was convinced to talk to her.

"Hey Zorua. How are you feeling?" Grovyle asked, feeling like a shitty mother.

Zorua groaned. "Get lost."

Grovyle wanted to do just that, but she stood her ground. "Ampharos' friends are worried about you."

"Who says this is because of Ampharos?" Zorua asked coldly.

Grovyle raised an eyebrow.

Zorua flushed. "Shut up! Just because its true doesn't mean I have to like it! I feel like Lucky charms that have been soaking in milk for so long that its turned into a sludge!"

Grovyle rubbed her head. "Um…. weird analogy, but it's not like you guys are done forever."

Zorua groaned. "Yeah right, he's way too attractive and endearing for his own good. Soon some floozy will come along and- "

"I don't think you're giving him enough credit," Grovyle muttered.

"I know I'm not! Stop pointing out the obvious!" Zorua snarled. "I don't know, I just like to stew."

"Well what are you going to do now?" Grovyle asked.

"Do my best to win, I guess," Zorua shrugged. " I can manipulate all I want now that I don't have to worry about Ampharos."

"You sound like you kind of…don't want to," Grovyle said hesitantly.

"No…. I don't," Zorua admitted. "I'll play fair from now on, all, right? But I'm certainly not going to stop being competitive. It's a million freaking dollars."

"Fair enough," Grovyle admitted.

"But hey I'm not the only one with relationship problems," Zorua said, her expression changing to an evil smirk. "You and Gallade…"

"We're not discussing this," Grovyle growled, secretly proud that she didn't blush.

"Oh, yes we are," Zorua said. "We're blood sisters now."

Grovyle flinched. "You make it sound so unsettling."

 **0000**

" **I guess it turns out the way to help is by providing obvious answers and help them improve themselves?" Grovyle asked, rubbing her arm. "Wish it worked on Gallade."**

 **0000**

"Be careful, Charizard," Slowking muttered. "You're going to light the couch on fire."

"Er…. sorry," Charizard said, swinging his tail away. Slowking let out a sigh as he looked over the book he was reading.

"Are you going to tell me why you keep staring at me?" Slowking asked. Charizard bit back a curse. He thought he was being subtler.

"My apologies. You've always just been very hard to read."

"Got lost in my eyes, did I?" Slowking asked with a chuckle.

"Ha," Charizard grumbled. "I was just wondering how you felt about the Gallade situation."

"I'm assuming you're referring to the events of the last challenge?" Slowking asked. "I wasn't there personally, but from what I heard you provided formidable evidence."

"Yes," Charizard said proudly, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "When this competition ends at the very least he'll be questioned."

Slowking closed the book with a loud SNAP! Charizard jumped. Slowking was not glaring at him, but giving a look devoid of emotion.

"Unlike you I have no evidence but my alleged intellect. I was not there when you spoke, nor do I know anything of your background. My belief is that the fault has, is, and will be yours in the end."

Charizard gaped as Slowking walked past, before throwing a brief glance behind his back.

"And I will act as I deem necessary."

Charizard felt a cold feeling of fear in the pit of his stomach as Slowking left without another word.

 **0000**

 **Charizard took a deep breath. "Okay, he needs to go as well. It was like he was looking into my soul."**

 **0000**

"Today's challenge is a quiz show!" Victini exclaimed. He was wearing a loud jacket and tie that featured question marks on its sleeves. The orange color clashed horribly with Victini's cream colored fur.

"Ugh, Hariyama let you dress like that?" Zorua asked, retching.

"He would not let Hariyama pick his clothes," the fighting type said as he read a magazine.

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!" Victini whined. "Just listen to the stupid challenge!"

"Ah, see," Tepig said with a snicker. "You're becoming self-aware."

"It's astounding that I haven't automatically eliminated you yet," Victini grumbled.

"Come off it, we both know I'm a ratings gem," Tepig said.

Victini groaned. "Fair enough. Now listen to the challenge OR I'M GOING TO HAVE A CONIPTION!"

Everyone fell silent. Victini cleared his throat.

"You guys will be answering questions up on those podiums up there. When you answer all three you get immunity."

"Won't that be a really short challenge then?" Shuckle asked.

"Oh sweet, naive, innocent Shuckle," Victini chuckled. "It doesn't work like that. We'll be going until all but one of you get immunity."

"Wow, ain't that great?" Bidoof shouted. "We're all safe this time!"

"Yeah man," Infernape said, pumping his fist. "Let's throw a pizza party!"

Umbreon sighed. "I'm surrounded by idiots."

"Well, Pidgey of a feather- "

"Shut up, Tepig."

"Actually guys, that means the elimination will be automatic," Victini said. "It's come to my attention that some of you are just riding the coattails of stronger competitors, so we're going to weed some of them out."

The campers all glanced around at each other nervously. Sudden Death, huh?

"So y'all can get to your booths and we'll start shooting questions. We'll show you the categories in a moment!"

 **0000**

 **Gallade growled. "Trivia. Wonderful."**

 **0000**

 **Tepig rolled his eyes. "Come on, our competition includes Bidoof and Infernape. I've already won."**

 **0000**

Soon everyone stood at their booths, except for Scrafty, who was pulled out by Victini. Umbreon stared at Sylveon, who looked she was having a heart attack. 

"Are you okay?" She asked. Sylveon was sweating hard, but she nodded.

"Y-yeah, just nervous."

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "Well calm down. You're stressing me out here."

 **0000**

" **I'm worried that Sylveon won't speak up at all during this," Umbreon explained. "She's not stupid, but she has zero confidence in herself. In all honesty one of the reasons I befriended her was so she'll spare my life when she finally snaps and starts mowing us down with a minigun."**

 **0000**

"First up, Scrafty won immunity last challenge," Victini said. "Because this is an auto elimination challenge you won't have to participate!"

Scrafty grinned. "Sweet."

"You do however, get to pick one Pokemon in the competition to help out," Victini finished. "Who's it gonna be?"

Scrafty looked over the sea of campers. "Eenie…..meanie….miney….Munchlax!" He said, pointing.

Shuckle slammed his head on the booth. "Son of a Kantonian whore."

Scrafty sat next to Munchlax. "All right, friend. Let's win you some immunity."

Munchlax gulped, his eyes shifting from left to right. "Haha, yeah…."

Victini snapped his fingers. "All right, Hariyama. Spin the wheel to unlock our categories!"

Hariyama stomped out, wearing a low-cut dress. "Hariyama doesn't get paid enough for this bullshit."

Ignoring the jittering laughs from the contestants, Hariyama spun a wheel featuring various categories.

"Our first topic is…Total Pokemon history! I hope you guys are well versed in the franchise!" Victini said.

Slowking shrugged. As a Slowpoke, he hadn't had much to do but watch television. The question was if he could retain it.

"Second category is…." Victini drum rolled as Hariyama spun the wheel once more. "Legendary facts! Let's see if you paid attention in class!"

He nodded, and Hariyama spun the wheel a final time.

"The third is Pokemon moves and their uses. How well do you know your own abilities?"

 **0000**

" **Bullshit!" Lucario growled. "I've never seen anything from Total Pokemon! It's a good thing I know my moves…."**

 **0000**

" **On one hand Bidoof's screwed in this challenge, but on the other Munchlax is under Scrafty's thumb!" Shuckle exclaimed. "How in the seven hells am I going to get everyone out of this one?"**

 **0000**

"So, when we ask the question, slam down on your buzzer and you have a few moments to answer it," Victini said. "But no stalling! That's considered cheating and will put you in the penalty zone for five minutes."

He gestured to a small prison on the side. "While you're in there you can't buzz in at all! Which puts you in a pretty bad situation when the numbers start to thin. On that bright note, is everyone ready?"

He was met with an unenthusiastic response.

"Wonderful! Let's begin!" Victini said with a clap of his hands. "First question for Legendary facts! Is Unk-"

Slowking buzzed in. "Unknown is not considered a legendary Pokemon and can only use the move hidden power."

Victini gaped. "How…. what-y-you can't read my mind!"

Slowking shrugged. "That was never specified beforehand."

Victini sighed. "Fair enough. Slowking gets the point, but from now on the player is NOT allowed to read the host's mind! Clear?"

"Crystal," Slowking said in a bored voice.

"Good. Second question for Total Pokemon history. Who? -"

"Gloom," Slowking said, buzzing in.

Victini growled. "I THOUGHT I MADE MYSELF CLEAR!"

Slowking chuckled. "You never said anything about Shellder. He's not a player in this game!"

Victini turned bright red, his ears erupting into flames. "RRRRRGGH! FINE! Fine. Fair enough. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

He cleared his throat. "There. That's two points for Slowking. One more and he's immune."

Victini smirked. "All right. This one is for Total Pokemon history once more. Which- "

Slowking buzzed in. "Hitmonlee."

Victini exploded into flames. "WHAT! WHAT'S YOUR EXCUSE THIS TIME?"

Slowking shrugged, smiling innocently. "That one was just a guess."

"JUST GET OFF MY STAGE! YOU'RE IMMUNE! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU FOR THE REST OF THE DAY OR YOU'RE AUTOMATICALLY ELIMINATED!"

Slowking got up. "Thank you." He passed the rest of the awestruck campers, Shellder winking at Charizard from the back of his head.

The dragon's mouth was opening and closing like a Goldeen out of water.

 **0000**

 **Charizard wiped some sweat from his face. "I uh…. Gallade can wait."**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty grinned. "Interesting. He just purposely made a target out of himself up there. He must really want to be challenged." He lit a cigarette. "But meh. I'll stay out of the radar and let him drag down some threats with him."**

 **0000**

Victini sighed. "It can't be helped. There was no way he was going to lose this anyway. Two campers have immunity. Fourteen left in limbo!"

"Get on with it," Umbreon muttered.

"Next question is for moves!" Victini said, pulling out a card. "Which move is a double-edged sword? If it hits it'll do a ton of damages, but if it misses the user will end up crashing!"

Infernape slammed his fist on the button. "Oooh ooh, pick me!"

"Infernape you already pressed the button first," Victini said. "You don't need my consent to- "

"Mach punch!" Infernape exclaimed. "Totally Mach punch."

"No, it isn't Mach punch!" Victini said incredulously. "Someone else, please- "

Infernape buzzed again. "Close combat!"

Victini glared. "Stop it. Go to prison. Reflect on your behavior."

Infernape sighed, flopping down behind the prison gate. "Just don't drop the soap, Infernape…"

Lucario pawed the buzzer, rolling her eyes. "It would be High Jump kick, right?"

Victini grinned. "Correct! Lucario gets a point!"

"Hey, that was my next guess!" Infernape protested.

"Don't lie," Umbreon deadpanned.

Victini cleared his throat. "Which legendary is known as the Renegade Pokemon."

Bidoof hit the buzzer with his nose. "Phione!"

"Sorry, Bidoof!" Victini said, shaking his head. "Also, that was a really bad guess."

Grovyle pressed her button. "Um…was it…Giratina?"

"Good guess!" Victini said. "Grovyle also has a point."

"I'm surprised you haven't answered any, Shuckle," Bidoof said. "You're supposed 't be the smart one."

Shuckle grit his teeth. "I'm trying to, but I can't press the button fast enough! Besides, I'm more worried about you and Munchlax. Munchlax is stuck with Scrafty and you're a complete imbecile."

"I'm not dumb," Bidoof mumbled. "Just not very well informed."

"Look," Shuckle whispered. "Just listen to what I say and answer it that way. I'm not losing either of you this challenge."

"Shuckle, are you cheating!?" Victini asked in mock surprise.

"N-no, I d-didn't-"Shuckle stammered, but Hariyama had already grabbed him and thrown him into the prison.

"Hey man," Infernape said as Shuckle groaned. "Make sure not to drop the soap."

 **0000**

" **We're screwed," Shuckle moaned. "With me out of commission and Bidoof being Bidoof…..one of us is going home. I can just tell."**

 **0000**

"Now that the naughtiness has been taken care of….." Victini said. "Time for the next question. Which double elimination was the first in Total Pokemon history?"

Hesitantly. Ivysaur pressed his button. "Mawile and Lileep?"

"Wrong!" Victini announced.

Scrafty whispered something in Munchlax's ear. Munchlax perked up and pressed the button. "Kabutops and Bronzong!"

Victini nodded. "Thanks to a Scrafty assist, Munchlax is now on the board with a point as well."

Munchlax looked down embarrassedly when Bidoof gave him a thumb's up. Charizard was looking at him suspiciously before perking up at the sound of the next question.

"Which move acts a physical solar beam? The user gathers light to unleash a powerful grass type attack?"

Grovyle went to press her button, but Gallade beat her to it as he slammed a scythe on his button.

"Solar Blade," he said sharply.

"Correct! Gallade gets a point!"

 **0000**

" **I know a thing or two about moves," Gallade said with a shrug. "That category will hopefully be a saving grace as I know nothing about legends or franchises."**

 **0000**

"Barring me, which legendary Pokemon was the first you guys met as a group?" Victini asked.

Sylveon was the first to buzz in. "P-phione!"

Before Victini could respond, Tepig pressed his own button. "Actually, that's not necessarily true. Phione's status as a legendary Pokemon is disputed among even official sources. I'd argue that the right answer is Manaphy."

Victini blinked. "Um…wow. I….well neither of you are wrong necessarily but…."

Grovyle looked up at Tepig. "How the hell do you know that?"

Tepig grinned. "The milk gives me answers."

"I guess we can give both of you a point then," Victini said with a shrug. "Next question!

"See?" Umbreon nudged Sylveon as Victini asked the question. "You're not stupid, so stop being such a spaz."

"Well yeah," Sylveon pouted. "But Tepig ended up stealing my-"

Her hand slipped, pressing on the buzzer. "Thunder?"

Victini stared at her. "That answer is…. CORRECT! A second point for Sylveon!"

Sylveon blinked, flabbergasted as Victini looked over his notes. "Oh, this is a good one. Which legendary fought Kyogre thousands of years ago?"

"Was it…. Heatran?" Grovyle asked as she buzzed in, tapping her chin.

Victini shuddered at the thought of Heatran. "N-nope. Good guess, though."

"Groudon," Gallade said quickly, ignoring his button.

"Well….I'll give you the point but….you get jail time for not buzzing in," Victini said. "Oh, and Infernape, you've served your time."

"I-I…." Gallade stuttered. "P-please, don't…."

Victini raised an eyebrow. "What's your deal?"

"I-I'm sorry," Gallade said, looking disgusted with himself. "Please don't make me go in there."

"Will you calm down?" Victini asked. "You already have two points. Now get your butt in jail before Hariyama throws you in himself."

Gallade bowed his head down as he walked over to the jail, passing Infernape as he left. He sat down next to Shuckle.

Shuckle waved. "What's shakin', bacon?"

 **0000**

" **So much for Gallade's pride," Grovyle said, rubbing her arm. "He must be terrified that he'll lose."**

 **0000**

Victini smirked. "As a follow up to the last question, who was the one who ultimately broke up the fight between Kyogre and Groudon?"

Donphan stepped on his button, letting out a trumpet. "Kyogre y Groudon hicieron temblar al mundo entero en su batalla. En última instancia fue el poderoso Rayquazza quien descendió de los cielos, corriendo entre ellos con una terrible guerra."

Victini groaned. "Can you stop with the Spanish Knight façade? I did hear Rayquazza in that word vomit so I guess I'll let it slide."

Donphan rolled his eyes. "Fine, man. Whatever."

Victini tapped his chin. "Shuckle, you are out of jail. Next question…..Who was the first Pokemon to set foot on the island in Ultimate Total Pokemon island? The one hosted by Raikou."

This stumped some of the campers, but Bidoof buzzed in. "Venonat!"

Victini groaned. "No Bidoof, wrong series. Anyone else?"

Charizard tried next. "Gulpin, I'm pretty sure?"

"The only problem with that question is that it's totally wrong. Next?"

"Kirlia," Gallade muttered darkly to himself as he pressed his button.

"Wait...how did you-?" Victini asked.

"I cut through the bars," Gallade muttered. "It wasn't very hard."

Victini glanced back and did a double take. The prison was in ruins. "Jeez….well you're right, anyway. I guess you can be immune."

Gallade breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you." He walked away, ignoring the curious looks from the rest of the cast.

 **0000**

 **Gallade folded his arms. "Of course, I knew it was Kirlia. What a cruel irony."**

 **0000**

 **Victini gulped. "Why did I give Gallade the immunity? The dude looked off today. I thought he'd try to slice my head off if I refused."**

 **He shrugged. "And he DID answer all the questions correctly."**

 **0000**

"Oooh, it's time for a daily triple!" Victini said in surprised. "These questions only go to players without any points, and if they get it right they get automatic immunity."

Some of the Pokemon who earned a point groaned. Shuckle raised an eyebrow. This was Bidoof's chance!

"Name the elimination order for this season up to this episode. No errors can be made. Who is up for the challenge?"

Bidoof buzzed in. "Er….Braixen!"

"Wrong!" Victini shouted. "Come on man, this is getting pathetic. Who else wants a-"

Infernape buzzed in next. "Er….Electrode, Diglett, Garchomp, Primape-"

"THAT IS NOT THIS SEASON, INFERNAPE!" Victini roared. "GET BACK IN THE PRISON!"

Infernape gulped. "But the prison is busted-"

"GET BACK NOW BEFORE I MELT YOUR FACE OFF!"

"Deep breaths, Victini," Hariyama said cautiously.

Shuckle pressed the button next. "Er…so first was Talonflame. Then Smeargle, then Pidgey."

"So far so good," Victini said.

"Right….um next was Electivire. Then Haxorus, I'm pretty sure. After that we lost Machamp before Gliscor left. Then erm….."

He stumbled. "I….crap it's like a blank space in my brain."

Victini blinked. "You're right. It's like a memory was removed. You can continue past that since I'm pretty sure nobody has an answer for that one."

"Right then. Next came Plusle, then Parasect…."

 **0000**

" **Not gonna lie, I completely forgot Haxorus and Electivire existed," Lucario admitted. "Shuckle's memory is pretty damn good."**

 **0000**

 **Tepig was beating his fists against the wall, laughing hysterically. "It's funny because nobody remembers Whimsicott!"**

 **0000**

"Swampert, and lastly Ampharos," Shuckle finished. "Um can I have a glass of water?"

"You can have all the water you want now, because you are immune now, Shuckle!" Victini said.

"Actually um…. could I give it to Bidoof?" Shuckle asked.

"Nope!" Victini said, throwing him away. "Next question!"

Umbreon narrowed her eyes. She really knew nothing about any of the topics, but she needed to get on the board. Charizard and Ivysaur shared similar expressions.

"Which legendary is the heaviest?" Victini asked.

Munchlax pressed the button. "Groudon! Whopping 2,000 pounds!"

Everyone looked at him. Munchlax squirmed. "What? When you're heavy you tend to look up other weights to make yourself feel better."

"Well you're right, so you get a second point. Uh….next question! What was Sableye's fear?"

Ivysaur pressed the button. "Oooh! It was a tea party with cute stuffed animals!"

"Wait is that a joke?" Tepig asked.

"No," Victini said with a sigh.

"Ha!"

"Ivysaur gets a point! Which flying type attack is more powerful if the user does not have an item?"

Charizard punched the button. "Acrobatics!"

"Point for Charizard! Who were the legendary Pokemon that Ho-oh brought to life?"

Tepig pressed his button. "Ninjask."

"THAT WAS ON PURPOSE! GET IN JAIL TEPIG! ANOTHER SLIPUP AND I WILL HANDCUFF YOU!" Victini roared.

Tepig winked. "Sounds kinky."

"HARIYAMA, I'M GONNA KILL 'IM!" Victini roared, bursting into flames. Hariyama rolled his eyes, dragging Victini away and completely ignoring the fire burning his fingertips.

 **0000**

 **Hariyama sighed as he wrapped a bandage around a massive hand. "Young Victini just needed to be sedated-er calmed down. Enjoy early commercial break."**

 **0000**

The campers took a break as Hariyama handed them bottles of water. Donphan and Ivysaur cornered Infernape.

"Look man, you're in serious danger here," Ivysaur said. "Four Pokemon are immune and you haven't won a single point. Oh, and none of us four are included in that list, so I think now is an apt time to start freaking out."

Infernape waved a hand dismissively. "Aw come on, man. I just need to hit my stride."

"That casual demeaner of yours will not help here, mono. You need to work harder, mi amigo," Donphan said seriously. 

Infernape shrugged. "Okay, okay. So, what do you guys want me to do?"

Ivysaur held up a few books in his vines. "It's time for a study session!"

 **0000**

 **Charizard growled. "My two major opponents are already immune. At this point I should just go for surviving the challenge. Besides, watching Infernape and Bidoof trying to answer questions is making me lose brain cells."**

 **0000**

"Umbreon, are you okay?" Sylveon asked quietly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Umbreon asked back, raising an eyebrow.

"Well you haven't answered any questions yet. I don't want you to leave."

"Hey, just focus on yourself. I can handle myself out there," Umbreon said. "Besides, I'm going against Bidoof and Infernape. How could I lose?"

"Well….okay…." Sylveon said. "But promise me you'll be careful. I don't want you to leave me."

"Ugh, don't make it gay, Sylveon," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. "I'll be fine."

"Hey Munchlax!" Shuckle called. "Come help me study with Bidoof so he doesn't get eliminated!"

Munchlax started to answer, but Scrafty squeezed his shoulder. "Sorry, but I'll be borrowing him for a little while."

Shuckle threw Munchlax a pleading look, but the little bear wouldn't meet his eyes. "Um…. sorry guys, I'll catch up with you later."

Shuckle and Bidoof shared a look. Bidoof smiled. "Well I'm glad that he's makin' new friends!"

 **0000**

" **Okay, Scrafty has dirt on him," Shuckle said with a steely gaze. "Either that or he's betraying us. But he wouldn't do that…. right?"**

 **0000**

"All right, we can continue with challenge," Hariyama said, walking back with Victini.

"Everything is so beautiful!" Victini said, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"Is…is he okay?" Lucario asked. "Because uh…his aura is a very…. green color."

Hariyama shrugged. "At least he isn't screaming."

"Wait, what do you mean by green?" Ivysaur asked.

"That plant man is speaking Japanese," Victini whispered.

"He downed quite a lot of….er….stuff," Hariyama said awkwardly.

"What kind of stuff?" Bidoof asked innocently.

"Can I have some?" Umbreon asked.

"Seconded," Scrafty said, raising a hand.

"May I remind you there is an officer present?" Charizard asked.

"Right, never mind," Scrafty said, looking down.

"I'm still game," Umbreon said.

Charizard glared at her, but before he could challenge her Hariyama looked over Victini's notes. "Next question."

Everyone quickly ran to their podiums as Hariyama cleared his throat. "Which move, if used as an answer, is quite ironic in this situation."

Umbreon smirked as she pressed her button. "Acid."

Hariyama sighed. "Correct. Umbreon now has point."

 **0000**

 **Umbreon smirked. "Finally, a question that suits MY interests."**

 **0000**

" **Of course, she'd be a drug fiend," Lucario said with a shrug. "Everybody apparently has SOMETHING on this show."**

 **0000**

 **Hariyama gave Victini a curious glance. "So, you wrote that question beforehand, knowing you'd drink several gallons of LSD after having a temper tantrum?"**

 **Victini shook. "DON'T LET THE INVISIBLE DURANT IN MAN. THEY'LL EAT YOUR FACE!"**

 **Hariyama sighed. "Hariyama really does not get paid enough for this."**

 **0000**

"Which legendary Pokemon is the lightest?" Hariyama asked.

Sylveon pressed in. "The three lake guardians! Um….Azelf, Uxie, Mesprit!"

"Correct. Sylveon is now immune."

"Yes!" Sylveon yelped, hugging Umbreon next to her. Umbreon threw her a death glare, causing her to back away slowly.

Hariyama leafed through notes. "Name a Total Pokemon host not subject in a prior question?"

The campers whispered to themselves, but Tepig smirked. He pressed a trotter on his buzzer. "Victini."

Hariyama nodded. "Nice loophole, Tepig. You are immune."

Tepig slid off his podium. "Suck it, ya wankers!"

 **0000**

 **Zorua growled. "Are you serious? I haven't answered a question yet, and TEPIG is immune?" She groaned. "How cliché would it be to get eliminated right after my boyfriend?"**

 **0000**

"Name five moves that have priorities over other attacks," Hariyama said, trying to ignore Victini, who was running around in circles.

Lucario buzzed in, a smirk on her face. "Quick attack, sucker punch, fake out, extreme speed, and water shuriken."

"Correct. Young Lucario knows her moves!"

Lucario blushed. "I watched some Dragonite Ball Z as a kid."

"Really?" Munchlax asked, perking up. "Ohhh man remember when Blaziken mega evolved for the first time?"

"And cut Mewtwo in half?" Lucario asked. "Best episode in the series."

"Yes, it all started going downhill once they beat Zygarde," Munchlax admitted. "Did you see the new series?"

"Traaaaaaaaash," they both said at the same time. ((Author's Note: I really like Super, don't kill me.))

Hariyama snorted under his breath. "No way Mewtwo would ever lose to flightless bird in real life."

"MEWTWO'S HERE?" Victini shouted. "OH NO, HE KNOWS I FORGED HIS HUNTING LISCENCE!"

Hariyama cleared his throat. "Riveting discussion, but young campers need to continue with challenge. Name the two islands off the coast of Total Pokemon island."

The campers all looked conflicted. Grovyle hesitantly pressed her button. "Treasure island….."

"And the other?" Hariyama asked.

"Um….it was Skull island?"

"No. Any second guesses?"

Infernape punched his button. "I know! It's-"

"Wrong," Hariyama said, rolling his eyes.

"Wait but how could you possibly-"

"Because it's you. Anybody else?"

"Rocky island," Munchlax said, once again heeding Scrafty's whispers.

"Correct. Munchlax won his immunity."

Munchlax forced a grin. "Awesome sauce."

Scrafty wrapped an arm around his neck. "Let's talk strategy."

 **0000**

 **Munchlax sighed. "I hope I'm not acting too suspiciously, but…..you know. I'm just not feeling good today."**

 **0000**

Hariyama folded his arms. "Which legendary is known as the prince of the sea?"

Zorua's eyes snapped open and she quickly pressed her button. "Manaphy!"

A pause, and then Hariyama nodded. "That is correct."

"Wait hold the phone," Ivysaur said. "Manaphy is a girl. Why is she-?"

"Don't ask," Hariyama said, shaking his head.

"Oh!" Donphan piped up. "Maybe it's like in Shakespearowian times! Where the men played as women because women weren't allowed to act."

Ivysaur cocked his head to the side. "Um…. how is that relevant?"

Donphan blinked. "Um…. oh….right. That wouldn't make sense."

"Hey can we just like skip forward in time?" Umbreon asked. "Because this challenge is really slow and boring and I want it over with already."

Hariyama rolled his eyes. "No. This chapter isn't even 6,000 words yet. If this story wants to keep its reputation, we'll need at least 10,000."

"Then cut away to Slowking or Tepig or something," Umbreon groaned. "Everything out of Tepig's mouth is comedy gold and most of the characters that have won immunity are way more interesting than us. Zorua aside."

"Hey, I'm still here!" Infernape exclaimed.

Umbreon threw Hariyama a pointed look. "Exactly."

Hariyama shook his head. "No. This is ample time for character development. Now be quiet and let me continue."

"Whatever," Umbreon said. "Can I at least have some of Victini's acid?"

"I'm Still a cop, guys," Charizard said.

"NO!" Victini screamed. "THEY'RE TRYING TO TAKE AWAY MY BABY FORMULA! ONLY MINE! NO TOUCHING!"

"There's your answer," Hariyama muttered. "Next question. Name all forms of Deoxys."

Charizard pressed his button. "Speed, defense, attack, and normal."

"Correct! Which legendary can travel through time?"

"Celebi!" Grovyle answered quickly.

"Correct again," Hariyama said. "Which move does not take effect until a few turns after it is used?"

Lucario pressed her button. "Future sight!"

"Good job, Lucario. You are now immune."

"Numbers are really starting to thin," Ivysaur told Donphan. "And three of us are still stuck here."

"Not to mention one of us is Infernape," Donphan admitted. "Just focus on getting immunity for now. We can't worry about anyone else until we're safe."

Ivysaur nodded. "All right…."

"Which legendary Pokemon managed to tow an entire continent?"

Zorua pressed her button. "Regigigas….I think."

"You are a good thinker then. Another point for Zorua. Which legendary has the best singing voice?"

"Meloetta," Donphan said in a dreamy voice. "Wonderful actress too."

"Correct, lover boy. Name three antagonists in Total Pokemon history."

Zorua pressed her button first. "Hypno…, Espeon….and um…. Carbink?"

Hariyama nodded. "Fair enough."

."Name three moves that are instant K.O.S if they hit!"

Charizard tapped his button. "Sheer Cold...Fissure…..um….."

"Too long! Anyone else?"

"Guillotine!" Grovyle screeched, slamming her hand on the button.

"Correct. Grovyle is immune. In Total Pokemon Island, there is a conflict that-"

"Banette and Mewtwo," Zorua said, rolling his eyes. "The joke stopped being funny after Total Pokemon World Tour."

"Fair enough. Zorua is now immune."

Before Zorua could respond, Victini exploded into flames. "OH, MY GOD I'M COMING DOWN!"

He fell flat on his face.

"You've been having a strange day today, huh," Umbreon said.

"No kidding," he mumbled, "Good thing I'm a legendary Pokemon. If I wasn't I'd be rambling to myself like a loony."

"So basically, you'd be the same, except be less loud about it?" Umbreon asked.

Victini moaned. "Leave me alone."

Hariyama sighed. "Are you okay to host now or do you need another dose?"

Victini moaned. "Leave me alone."

 **0000**

 **Charizard folded his arms. "When this competition is over, Victini's getting an inquiry. There's no way half the shit he gets away with is legal."**

 **0000**

" **That was intense," Ivysaur gulped. "Donphan and I have two points, but Infernape is still at zero! Charizard and Umbreon aren't slouches either…"**

 **0000**

Tepig was sitting down at the porch, drinking down some Moomoo milk. Scrafty and Munchlax walked up the steps, causing Tepig to raise an eyebrow.

"You want something?"

"Just a vote," Scrafty said with a shrug. "Shuckle's team and I decided that Slowking is too dangerous in this competition. We're gonna plan a little coup."

Tepig leaned back. "Sounds interesting. Do go on."

Scrafty raised an eyebrow. "Are you trying to patronize me?"

Tepig's eyes went wide. "No, no. This is just my natural tone of voice, darling."

Scrafty rolled his eyes. "Look, I know you're an asshole, but this benefits you too. Slowking is the smartest person on the island, and if we don't take care of it soon…."

Tepig cocked his head to the side. "I thought Shuckle's group hated you?"

Scrafty grinned. "We came to an understanding, right Munchlax?"

Munchlax gulped, looking down. "Um…y-yeah. We're friends now."

Tepig snorted. "Come on, mate, you're insulting my intelligence! You expect me to believe this isn't a scam?"

Scrafty groaned. Tepig was hard to deal with on the best of days. "What do you want?"

"What?" Tepig asked innocently.

"What do I need to give you to get your vote?" Scrafty asked.

Tepig tapped his chin. "That is a very difficult question."

"It really isn't," Scrafty muttered.

"I want you to give me….a Segway," Tepig said finally.

Scrafty blinked. "What the fu-"

"That's not all though. It has to have cup holders and foot warmers."

"Wait, you're a fire type. Why would you need foot warmers?" Munchlax asked.

"Well I wouldn't, but it would still be nice to gloat about," Tepig admitted.

"The two of you are missing the point," Scrafty said. "How the hell am I supposed to get a Segway?"

Tepig shrugged. "I dunno. Think of something."

Scrafty groaned. "Fine, whatever. Munchlax! We're going online shopping."

Munchlax chased after him. "I think I have a coupon!"

As soon as they left, Tepig transformed into Zorua. "I KNEW he was up to something!"

She took off the fedora, revealing a microchip. Tepig's voice answered back to her.

"Well it doesn't bother me. I get a Segway out of this."

"You couldn't have gone for something else? Like I don't know, something relevant to the game?" Zorua asked. "Also, eww I'm never pretending to be you again."

"Why not?" Tepig asked.

"Because all your mannerisms disgust me," Zorua snarled.

"Sorry love, I already have a sweetheart. I can't give in to flirting."

Zorua growled. "Shut up. So, what do YOU plan to do with this?"

"Besides get a ripper Segway? I don't know, I suppose I'll vote for Slowking. Scrafty made some good points."

"Yes," Zorua admitted. "But I still feel like something's off. I'm going to tail him a bit to find out exactly what's going on between him and Munchlax."

"Whatever floats your rubber ducky."

 **0000**

" **In a few moments, Tepig is probably going to tell a long, drawn out tale about my alleged confession," Zorua said. "Don't trust anything he says. I offered to work with him because I wanted to get some insight on Scrafty's plans and I had prior experience with him. So, when he inevitably talks about how I begged to work with him, please take it with a grain of salt."**

 **0000**

" **-So being the great guy I am, I decided to spend time with her and help get over the rejection," Tepig finished. "She's in a very vulnerable position, but with my help she'll move past it."**

 **0000**

" **Asshole," Zorua muttered.**

 **0000**

"So now that we've had a nice break and I've gotten over my um…trip…. we're ready to continue the challenge!" Victini said. "Hariyama wrote the current standings for the remaining contestants!"

Hariyama walked away from the blackboard set up behind the podiums. The standings went as followed:

 **Bidoof: 0 points**

 **Charizard: 2 points**

 **Donphan: 2 points**

 **Infernape: 2 points**

 **Ivysaur: 2 points**

 **Umbreon: 2 points**

"Everyone ready to start?" Victini asked. The campers muttered in assent.

"Great! Then the next question goes as follows! During Giratina's raid of sinnoh, what was the name of the army he used?"

Donphan pressed his button. "The Spanish Inquisition!"

"Correct!" Victini shouted. "Donphan is immune."

"I didn't expect that answer!" Infernape said.

"No one ever does!" Donphan trumpeted.

"Next question. What legends make up the creation trio?'

Bidoof buzzed in. "Er…..Palkia…"

"Yes!" Victinis said in surprise.

"Giratina…."

"Yesss…." Victini said, looking up in shock. Was Bidoof finally going to answer something correctly?

"And BRONZONG!" Bidoof shouted in triumph.

"NOOOOOOO!" Victini screamed. "YOU WERE SO CLOSE!"

Charizard pressed the button hesitantly. "Uh…its Dialga."

Victini took a deep breath. "That's right Charizard. You won your immunity."

He grinned at the four remaining campers. "There is a twenty-five percent chance that you'll be going home."

Bidoof, Ivysaur, and Infernape looked nervous, but Umbreon shrugged. "Meh."

"Do you have to ruin EVERYTHING?" Victini asked.

"Hey, I'm sorry. But I have two points and Bidoof has zero. At this point if I lose I deserve to leave."

"Oh yeah? Then answer THIS question!" Victini growled. "Name a move that drains the opponent of fifty percent of any damage given!"

"Giga drain," Umbreon drawled.

"DAMMIT!" Victini said, slapping himself in the face. "Fine, you're immune."

 **0000**

 **Ivysaur sighed. "Damn, that one was stolen from me."**

 **0000**

"What is the only type that has no legendary Pokemon to represent it?" Victini asked.

Ivysaur concentrated for a moment, before slapping the button with a vine. "P-poison type?"

"Wow, good job!" Victini announced, impressed. "I thought that would be hard to get. Ivysaur is now immune."

Victini stood over Bidoof and Infernape. "We are now down to the final two, and I really shouldn't be surprised by who it is."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Infernape asked, folding his arms.

"Yeah!" Bidoof said.

"I'm saying you two are dumb," Victini said. "So dumb that if I don't give the two of you a handicap we won't be finished before the rapture happens."

"Oh," they both said at the same time.

"So, we'll make it that whoever answers it next will get immunity," Victini said. "And we'll make the questions way easier. You two ready?"

"Heck yeah!" Infernape cheered.

"Bring it!" Bidoof shouted.

 **0000**

 **Slowking moaned, rubbing his head. "Watching that made me lose brain cells."**

 **0000**

Gallade laid down on his bed, his eye staring at the wall. It was days like these he wished he had someone to talk to.

Someone knocked on the door.

 _Dammit Arceus, I was kidding!_ He readied his scythes, edging slowly towards the leaf blocking his way out.

Was it Bisharp, back to finish him off? _No,_ he thought. Bisharp wasn't here, he was back at home. He was safe here…he was safe here…

"Oh. It's you," Gallade said, staring at an awkward Grovyle.

Grovyle tried for a smile. "You seem enthusiastic to see me."

Gallade didn't relax. "Why are you here?"

"To check on you," Grovyle said. "You were um…different…this challenge."

"Desperate," Gallade corrected. "And it destroyed my dignity."

"Can I come in?" Grovyle asked.

Gallade narrowed his eye.

"Look, just for a minute?" Grovyle asked. "In case you haven't noticed, I care about you."

"Fine. I guess. Come in," muttered Gallade. As Grovyle walked around, she noticed that the surroundings were exactly as she expected. Simple, understated, and practical.

"Last challenge…I know what Charizard said hit you hard." She tried to take it slow and gentle. Gallade had to be coaxed in order to open up.

"And?" Gallade asked without preamble.

"I'm not sure if what he says is true, but I trust you. Even if you can't," she said.

Gallade looked down, caving at her gaze. "It isn't true. I promise I wasn't lying."

Grovyle took a deep breath and smiled. "Good. I believe you."

"Oh. Thanks," Gallade muttered.

"Can I ask you something?" Grovyle finally said.

"You just did," Gallade said. "But whatever, go ahead."

"What was Kirlia like?" She asked.

Gallade let out a defeated sigh. "You remind me a lot of her, actually. She was smart, and kind, and funny…. even if our life wasn't. She was my bright spot."

Grovyle looked up at him in surprise. He had never been so vulnerable in front of her.

"Gallade, I want to help. What can I do?"

"Well if you won you could help out with money. But other than that I don't think you can…."

Grovyle hesitated, before making an internal decision. "No. There's another way I can help. You and I are hanging out for the rest of the day."

"Huh?" Gallade asked, stunned.

"I'm serious. You have a lot on your plate, but you can't dwell on it every waking moment. You should relax more. A constant state of panic isn't going to help save Kirlia."

Gallade let out a deep breath. "Fine, if you insist."

As she dragged him out of the hamlet, she could have sworn she heard a "thank you" from his lips.

 **00000**

" **You know at this point I'm wondering if I should become a psychiatrist," Grovyle admitted.**

 **0000**

 **Gallade let out a heavy sigh. "I can trust her. I know I can, but it's hard to let someone in like that. At the very least I hope she wins. She has a far greater chance then I do at the very least."**

 **0000**

"Chocolate milk!"

"That feelin' ya get when ya finally get water out of your ear!"

"Mushrooms!" 

"Silk!"

"Really big muffins!"

"Blue eyes white dragon!"

"Crescent Rose!"

"One ring to rule 'em all!"

"Arc of the covenant!"

"The batmobile!"

"GUYS!" Victini shouted, yanking on his ears. "All you have to guess is my favorite color!"

Bidoof and Infernape looked stumped. The campers had begun to gather around to see why it was taking so long. Slowking was napping, Sylveon and Umbreon were playing a card game, and Donphan and Tepig were betting on who would win.

"I don't get it," Lucario said to Hariyama. "Those two were never the brightest bulbs, but this seems a bit excessive."

"Ah, of course young Lucario wouldn't understand," Hariyama said. "This is writer's plot device. Characters traits are exaggerated to carry the chapter."

"That seems kind of shameless, doesn't it?" Lucario asked. 

"Hariyama never said it was good writing."

Victini moaned. "Here's a hint. This color is the same as the color of my ears."

Infernape scratched his head. "Um…..tangerine?"

"Close," Victini said encouragingly. "Bidoof, what do you guess?"

A lightbulb went off in Shuckle's head. "I have an idea."

Grabbing an orange marker, he wrote as fast as he could. When he was finished, he held up a huge sign that said the word 'orange.'

Bidoof looked up at the sign. "Oh! It's…."

Scrafty threw a rock, hitting Shuckle on the head and causing him to retreat into his shell.

"….Rock?" Bidoof said.

Victini howled in rage. "WHAT!? HOW! HOW IS THIS SO HARD TO COMPREHEND! ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS ANSWER OBVIOUS QUESTIONS! DO YOU KNOW HOW ANGRY THIS MAKES ME?"

Infernape pressed the buzzer. "V-very angry?"

"YEAH IT-wait what?" Victini asked.

"Th-that was the answer, right?" Infernape asked.

Victini blinked, before groaning. "Whatever, close enough. INFERNAPE IS THE WINNER!"

Infernape let out a whoop. "LOOPHOLES SOLVE EVERY PROBLEM!"

Victini looked at Bidoof, who was hanging his head in shame. "Sorry, buddy. You're going home. I'd give you a proper ceremony but all that yelling gave me a headache."

"Its all right!" Bidoof said kindly. "I'll just go pack up my things."

 **0000**

 **Bidoof smiled. "Can't win 'em all, huh. Its fine, though. I had a grand ol' time and I was happy to be a part of the game. I hope Shuckle or Munchlax wins, even if he's been ignorin' me lately."**

 **0000**

" **My Arceus, I think I might actually miss him," Umbreon said.**

 **0000**

"This sucks, man," Shuckle said, giving Bidoof a big hug.

"Aww it's fine, you and Munchlax deserve it more than me anyway," Bidoof said.

"BIDOOF, WAIT!" Munchlax said, sprinting down to the docks. Bidoof's eyes lit up.

"Munchlax! Ya came!"

Munchlax panted. "I'm gonna miss you, dude. You were a great friend."

"Aww, you two little bear," Bidoof said, giving Munchlax a noogie. "But now I'm off to new adventures!"

Long after he was gone, Shuckle and Munchlax sat next to each other awkwardly.

Munchlax stood up. "Look…..Shuckle, I have to go."

Shuckle sighed. "What's going on, Munchlax? Did Scrafty say something to you?"

Munchlax gukped. "N-no, but I need some space right now. I'll talk to you later."

He ran off, leaving Shuckle alone at the dock.

 **0000**

" **He didn't say it outright, but the meaning is clear," Shuckle said sadly. "I guess this is the end of team eviolite."**

 **Shuckle managed a weak, defeated smile. "For a while there I thought we'd be able to pull it off, that I'd actually manage to prove that my physical deficiencies don't matter. I'm just a stupid, goofy, worthless Shuckle that can't even save his friends. Hopefully you forgive me, Plusle. I failed as a leader."**

 **0000**

"Infernape," Ivysaur said, shaking his head in disbelief. "That was way too close for comfort."

"Ha-ha! Aren't I best!?" Infernape exclaimed, punching the air.

"I mean all that proved was that you're the second worse," Donphan said.

"LEAVE ME ALONE DONPHAN, I'M TRYING!"

"Did we learn anything from this experience, guys?" Ivysaur asked.

"Certainly," Donphan said, holding twenty dollars in his trunks. "Your friends' hardships can be exploited by winning bets."

0000

FINALLY, THIS IS OUT! Jeez, I'm sorry for the delay. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter.

Bidoof goes home, which is hard for me to write because he was probably my favorite of the trio. This marks the end of something for Shuckle, and the beginning of something new for Gallade.

Oh and Infernape managed to barely make it through the skin of his teeth. REJOICE, INFERNAPE FANS!

….Anyone?

Hope ya'll had a great Valentines' day! (Or if you don't have a player two like me then congrats on surviving the night. We're on the same boat, brothers.)

Seeya when the next chapter comes out!


	24. Chapter 24: Top of the World

Hey guys! This one came out a bit earlier than usual, and I hope you enjoy it. In case you haven't voted, which Pokemon do you want to see in season two? Yanmega, or Tyranitar?

Once you've got your vote down, sit back and relax as the next chapter unfolds!

0000

"There it is, Porky. A Segway, courtesy of me and Munchlax," Scrafty said.

"Munchlax and _I,"_ Tepig corrected.

"Shut the hell up," Scrafty growled.

"Well I gotta hand it to ya, mate, it's as pretty as a Gardevoir at the beach," Tepig admitted. "Loving the paint job. Who did it?"

"Munchlax knows a guy," Scrafty muttered. "Do I have your vote to eliminate Slowking now?"

"Eh, why not?" Tepig shrugged. "He doesn't like me much."

"I wonder why?" Scrafty drawled.

"Probably jealousy. Anyway, I'm off to a fun time Scrafty! I'm gonna show this beaut' to the ladies!" Tepig said, hopping on the Segway, and driving off.

Scrafty rolled his eyes.

 **0000**

" **Obnoxious as he is, he's still a vote," Scrafty said. "Slowking's on the chopping block for sure, but I need a few backup options if he ends up immune. Probably someone who I don't have on my side. Shuckle, Lucario, Grovyle, maybe Zorua if our alliance doesn't pander out…"**

 **He shook his head. "After that I need to knock out one of Ivysaur alliance. A three-man strong alliance is far too strong, even if it's made of a group of idiots. It won't be too difficult; they were never as dangerous as Shuckle's group originally was."**

 **0000**

"I'll be out in a minute, Gallade!" Grovyle said, walking into her cabin. She was glowing with happiness as she rooted through a bag.

"You seem to be in a good mood," Shuckle said, flopping over on his bunk.

Grovyle blushed. "Um…yeah I just…I've been having a lot of fun these past few days."

"That's nice," Shuckle said. "I think Gallade really likes you."

"Really?" Grovyle asked in surprise. Shuckle had a feeling that it was what she wanted to hear.

"He's spending more time with you then anyone else. His face lights up whenever he sees you," Shuckle said.

"Well, thanks for the compliment. I like him a lot too!" Grovyle said, grabbing what she was looking for and exiting the building. Shuckle looked at the ceiling and let out a sigh.

The door opened again and Grovyle walked in. "All right, spill."

"Pardon?" Shuckle asked.

"Something's bothering you, and you need someone to talk to," Grovyle said.

"Oh, well I don't want to be a bother…." Shuckle said.

"Dude. Shut up and talk."

"At the same time?"

Grovyle rolled her eyes. "Don't be a smartass. Is this because Bidoof left?"

Shuckle dropped down from his bed. "Well kinda, but it's mostly Munchlax. We've been drifting apart lately."

"Oh," Grovyle said. "Wait, he's been hanging out a lot with Scrafty, hasn't he?"

Shuckle nodded, before his eyes shifted back and forth. "Look, don't trust Scrafty, alright?"

Grovyle blinked. "Oh. Is he that bad? He always was a bit prickly and snarky, but he never seemed that bad a guy."

"I think he's bullying Munchlax," Shuckle admitted. "After Sableye became a target, Scrafty tried to use our friendship with him to go after Pokemon he wanted out. That's why Minccino left so early. And did you notice Audino left right after she started dating him?"

"That's-wow…" Grovyle said in surprise. "Is he really that dangerous?"

"I'd say so. And he has some sort of dirt on Munchlax!" Shuckle whispered. "Munchlax won't talk to me anymore. What do I do?"

Grovyle tapped her chin. "Well…. Shuckle, you're a smart guy, but you really don't like confrontation, do you?"

Shuckle looked down. "I-I guess."

"Well, you're going to have to be direct with him," Grovyle said. "If he trusts you he'll come out and say it, right?"

"Maybe," Shuckle said, thinking to himself. "Thanks for the advice, Grovyle. Good luck with Gallade!"

"Thanks," Grovyle said, giving him a thumbs up.

 **0000**

" **At this point I should charge," Grovyle said to herself.**

 **0000**

" **I know she's right," Shuckle admitted. "But jeez, I hate being sharp with people. It's easier when I get into tactician mode, but still…"**

 **0000**

"So, do we have a plan?" Ivysaur asked Donphan, ignoring Infernape's early morning workout routine.

" Well, we promised Scrafty we'd vote off Slowking," Donphan said. "But we've mostly just been deciding to go with the flow."

"Yeah, man!" Infernape said over his crunches. "Who wants to do boring stuff like strategizing? We're supposed to enjoy games, not get all stressed out."

Ivysaur nodded himself. He really didn't need the money, and just hanging around a bunch of Pokemon who liked him for who he was. But still…

"We almost just lost Infernape," he said firmly. "A-and I don't want either of you to leave. Can we have at least have a plan for who to vote in case we're targeted?"

"In all honesty? I don't think voting off Slowking is a bad idea," Donphan said.

"But we like him!" Infernape shouted.

"We also like winning," Donphan reminded him. "Be serious, Infernape. Is there anyone you WANT to eliminate?"

Infernape opened his mouth to argue. "Well, I-um…..no, I guess not."

"Exactly. Everyone HAS to go at some point," Donphan said. "And Slowking is scary, man. He beat up Mega Lopunny singlehandedly. Plus, he's smarter then all of us."

"I guess…" Infernape said, transitioning to pushups.

"So, there's a pretty big chance that Slowking's going home tonight," Ivysaur said. "Who do we worry about then?"

Donphan rubbed his trunk against his head. "Charizard and Lucario both have mega evolutions, so they're threats. Scrafty might be our wisest choice, though."

"But we're working WITH Scrafty!" Infernape protested.

"Precisely, and he implied he's working with others as well. We need to think ahead. Thanks to Bidoof's elimination we're the alliance with the most members. He'll be targeting us next, and if he has the allies to do it…."

"Yeesh, this is pretty cutthroat of you," Ivysaur admitted.

 **0000**

" **Donphan's a lot smarter then I realized," Infernape said with wide eyes. "Like, he told me knew Carbink was up to no good even before Tepig called his bluff. Dude's a mind reader."**

 **0000**

" **In all honesty, I fancy myself as just as smart as most of the schemers here," Donphan said. "My strategy is just to stay under the radar with a decent alliance. Electivire, Carbink, and Sableye were all hoisted with their own pertard. I don't plan that to happen to me."**

 **0000**

"Not bad," Charizard growled as Lucario continued to hit the punching bag in front of him. The aura Pokemon had a thick sheen of sweat on her face. With a final roar, she roundhouse kicked the punching bag, sending Charizard sliding back while breaking the sandbag in two.

"I-I think that's enough for today," Lucario said, wiping off some of the sweat. "Thank you very much for being my partner today, Charizard."

"Uh….to be honest it wasn't entirely for selfless reasons," Charizard admitted. "I wanted to talk to you."

Lucario raised an eyebrow. She and Charizard were on okay terms, but they had rarely spoken outside of challenges. "Sure. Knock yourself out."

"You were there when I accused Gallade, no?" Charizard asked. Lucario nodded, not sure where he was going.

"I was wondering what his aura was like. Some insight on his mental state could prove his guilt."

Lucario's expression changed to something unreadable. "No…he's a psychic. He can guard his mind from me, even if I wanted to look in."

"Ah, I see."

"But still….do you have any concrete evidence that Gallade committed the crime?" Lucario asked, looking completely neutral.

"Concrete? No, but there's too much for it to be coincidental," Charizard said. "Besides, it makes the most sense that a Gallade would do it."

"You mentioned that it was likely the Pokemon didn't leave finger prints and evolved," Lucario corrected. "Wouldn't it be possible for a Frosslass to be the perpetrator? They also evolve with a dawn stone."

"I….I mean yeah, it's possible, but-" Charizard sputtered. He hadn't expected this.

"-You don't have evidence at all," Lucario said with her arms folded. "He's a suspect at best."

"Why the hell are you defending him?" Charizard rasped, growing annoyed.

"Well, I usually don't trust those that conceal their auras," Lucario admitted. "But I can see yours loud and clear. Why ARE you so determined to catch him? Why this scenario?"

Charizard looked down. "I-well I would get a promotion."

"Corruption," Lucario said in agreement. "You can't hide anything from me."

Charizard bit his tongue to stop himself from launching back an insult. He responded in a cool tone. "I'm certain it is him, and my goal does not affect that."

Before Lucario could respond, an announcement from Victini chimed in, explaining the location for the next challenge.

"We'll speak later, Charizard. But I hope that my hunch is wrong, and that you aren't willing to put an innocent male in jail for money."

 **0000**

" **She's twisting it around," Charizard growled. "I know it's him. It HAS to be him! Please…"**

 **0000**

"Ugh, is this another boat challenge?" Zorua whined. "I get so goddamn seasick."

Victini shook his head. "Nope, but you might end UP in a boat!"

The campers were all lined up behind the dock. Victini's getup this time was a pilot's outfit, with his ears poking out of his helmet. "Alright, gang. This time you guys will be going on tours!"

"Tour where?" Scrafty asked, confused.

"The seven regions! Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, Kalos, and Alola!"

"We're ALL going there?" Grovyle asked. "How long will THAT take?" 

"Not everyone is going to every region," Victini said. "There are fifteen of you guys left. Everyone will get into pairs and visit one of the seven regions! Each team will get a sheet with a bunch of mini challenges to complete. The first team to complete all their challenges and return here will win immunity. And this time there WILL be a voting ceremony."

"Damn," Slowking muttered under his breath. He had been banking on automatic elimination.

"But…..wait," Zorua said. "There are fifteen Pokemon left, so one will be left over."

"That Pokemon will get automatic immunity and won't have to participate," Victini said.

"But….how is THAT fair?" Lucario asked.

"Hey, I got picked last a lot in gym class!" Victini said. "They have my sympathy. Now get pairing!"

Grovyle paired up with Gallade as Zorua rolled her eyes and accepted Tepig's invitation. Infernape, Donphan, and Ivysaur were arguing amongst themselves before Slowking plodded over.

He patted Infernape on the shoulder. "May I pair up with you?"

Infernape blinked, startled. "What? Me?"

"Yes, you seem like an interesting person to hang out with," Slowking said with a smile.

Infernape risked a glance behind him, where Donphan and Ivysaur were shaking their heads emphatically.

"I…..uh….sure," Infernape said. "But um…you're so much smarter than me. Aren't you out of my league?"

Slowking thought for a moment. "I don't see intelligence as black or white. It's not all about knowing math facts or trivia. There's so many ways one can be smart, and I think you've reached an acceptance or understanding of life that many should be jealous of. Do you understand what I mean?"

Infernape blinked. "Um…maybe?"

"I envy your outlook on life and cheerful nature," Slowking admitted. "I believe there's a lot I could learn from you."

"Well in that case, awesome!" Infernape replied with a goofy grin. "Dude, we're gonna have so much fun!"

Ivysaur nudged Donphan. "I guess we can go together then."

 **0000**

" **As weird as this situation is, it's not that bad," Ivysaur said. "Best case scenario, Slowking goes home. Worst case scenario, Infernape is immune."**

 **0000**

"No!" Sylveon exclaimed in alarm.

"Sylevon, listen-"

"No, no, a hundred times, NO!" Sylveon cried out in a shrill voice. Umbreon winced.

"Look, do YOU want Charizard immune this episode?" she asked.

Sylveon sighed. "No."

"And does he seem like Mister Popular?" She asked again.

"Well, he WAS our team leader-"

"Sylveon…."

"FINE! Nobody likes him, I know!" Sylveon said, exasperated. "But why does it have to be me that pairs up with him?"

"Because he likes you more than me," Umbreon explained. "He's not a fan of Pokemon that don't follow rules. Plus, I KNOW you find him attractive."

"I find everyone attractive!" Sylveon protested. "It's not fair! I'm not used to all these new hormones!"

"Just pair up with him," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. "I'll go with Shuckle or someone."

"F-fine," Sylveon muttered. "But you owe me BIG time."

She walked over to an awkward looking Charizard. "Hey, um…...you wanna team up?"

Charizard scratched his head. "Sure. Why not?"

"Hey, Munchlax, I need to talk to you for a second," Shuckle said, crawling over to the bear. Munchlax's eyes shifted.

"I uh…."

"Sorry Shuckle, but WE'RE working together this time," Scrafty said, wrapping his arm tight around Munchlax's neck.

Shuckle sighed. "Fine, after the challenge I guess."

 **0000**

" **Arceus, I hate that hoodlum. What did he DO to Munchlax?" Shuckle asked.**

 **0000**

"Everyone paired up?" Victini asked. "Then SHOW the teams their locations."

Hariyama dragged over a whiteboard listing all the competitors. The campers pushed each other out of the way as they tried to read what was on it.

TOTAL POKKEMON TOURS! TEAMS AND LOCATIONS:

Ivysaur and Donphan: Kanto Region

Shuckle and Umbreon: Johto Region

Charizard and Sylveon: Hoenn Region

Gallade and Grovyle: Sinnoh Region

Tepig and Zorua: Unova Region

Munchlax and Scrafty: Kalos Region

Infernape and Slowking: Alola Region

"I um….can someone swap regions?" Ivysaur asked weakly. "I REALLY don't wanna go to Kanto."

"Nope!" Victini said. "You get what you get and you don't get upset! Gotta take what comes!"

"Oh, like when you ended up losing the competition that determined the host for Total Pokemon Island…" Tepig said.

"SHUT UP, TEPIG! YOU MAKE NINJASK FEEL LIKE A MINOR HEAD COLD!" Victini roared. "IF IT ISN'T HIM, IT'S YOU. IF IT ISN'T YOU, IT'S UMBREON!"

"Somebody's gotta do it," Umbreon and Tepig said at the same time.

"Ugh…. whatever. I'll be teleporting you to your first locations. BUT you have to find your own mode of transportation to return."

Munchlax and Scrafty shared a worried glance, but Slowking shrugged. He knew where Alola's airport was.

"So, let's get cracking, gang!" Victini exclaimed. "And try to have fun with this! There are some cool places to visit for fun!"

 **0000**

" **Yo, I've always WANTED to go to Alola!" Infernape said, punching the air. "This is gonna be awesome!"**

 **0000**

" **Not sure why Ivysaur is so upset," Donphan said, looking confused. "Kanto is a wonderful region."**

 **0000**

" **Eh, I don't mind that I didn't end up with a partner," Lucario said with a shrug. "Visiting regions would be fun, but immunity confirms that I'll make it to the next round. Grovyle is the one I'd choose to go with, but she's attached herself to Gallade, and Lopunny left a LONG time ago. I suppose I'll just relax until the elimination ceremony."**

 **0000**

"Oh hey, we're in Vermilion city!" Donphan trumpeted. "Let's go party on the SS Anne!"

Ivysaur shook his head. "Look Donphan, I know you want to tour, but I'm really not a fan of Kanto. Can we please just get this over with so I can leave?"

Donphan sighed. "All right, then. What's our first challenge?"

Ivysaur looked over the list Victini had given him. "Ohhh…. we're supposed to go to Celadon and win 100,000 coins on the slots."

Donphan's eyes went wide. "This is a perfect acting opportunity! Let's go!"

 **0000**

" **I've never been a big fan of gambling," Ivysaur admitted. "One of my uncles got addicted and ended up losing everything." He shuddered. "M-my dad never was very happy when we had to keep giving him money."**

 **0000**

"Okay," Shuckle said, looking over his list. "We have to go um…. for a photo shoot in Goldenrod city."

Umbreon groaned. "I already hate this challenge. Why did we have to go to Johto?"

"In all honesty, I wanted to study the Ruins of Alph," Shuckle admitted. "I heard that there's a way you can meet Arceus in there. And he like…. gives birth to a legendary Pokemon by collecting a bunch of google images-"

"Dude, did you get your hands on Victini's stash on LSD?" Umbreon asked. "Cuz I want in on that."

"…Ignoring that, we'd better go," Shuckle said. "Partly because I don't want to lose, partly because watching you at a photoshoot is going to be hilarious."

Umbreon's eye twitched. "The fact that Sylveon has to deal with someone way worse then you, is the only thing keeping me from kicking your teeth in. Let's get this over with."

0000

Charizard sneezed. Sylveon flinched at the noise.

"Haha…. someone's talking about you," she said, trying to break the ice.

Charizard rolled his eyes. "I don't believe in superstitions. Our first challenge is to compete in a Pokemon contest."

"Oh…. well that makes sense," Sylveon said. "We ARE in Hoenn."

"Nearest one to here is Slateport," Charizard said. "We're going to have to take a boat."

"Can't you fly?" Sylveon asked.

"That would be cheating," Charizard grumbled.

"But Victini never said we COULDN'T-"

"I don't give a damn!" Charizard growled. "We're not going to exploit loopholes like little shits! Now, get over there before I arrest you for loitering."

Sylveon seethed, but did her best to hide her annoyance. "Whatever you say."

 **0000**

" **Jeez, at least Parasect was funny!" Sylveon muttered. "He's just using his status as a police officer to get what he wants. Stupid bully."**

 **0000**

" **I can't count the number of times I've watched criminals exploit a loophole and walk home free," Charizard spat. "It all seems so innocent and funny, but the damage it causes…."**

 **0000**

"Why d-did we have to stop at Sn-snow point city?" Grovyle asked, shivering in the cold. Gallade snorted at her reaction.

"In all fairness, we got lucky. Our first challenge is in Snowpoint Temple."

"What do we have to do?" Grovyle asked, looking over Gallade's shoulder.

"We have to…. wake up Regigigas," Gallade said, straining to read. "That doesn't sound fun."

"Well we better get started," Grovyle said grimly. "It's not getting any warmer."

0000

"Ah, sweet Unova," Tepig said. "Me home region!"

Zorua shrugged. "Same actually. Apparently our first target is in Castelia city."

"My mum lives there," Tepig said. "Let's go visit her!"

"Let's not," Zorua grumbled. "I can barely tolerate ONE of you. Oh Arceus, no."

"What's eatin' you?" Tepig asked, pulling the list away. He slapped his head and laughed when he read the first item.

"No way!" Zorua snarled. "I'm not doing a musical. I avoided it for ten years of high school and I'm not going in now!"

"Wait you went to high school for ten-?"

"NEVER!"

0000

"The weather is so great!" Infernape cheered.

"It DOES have a nice atmosphere," Slowking said with a relaxed smile.

They were sitting on a bench at Hau'oli City, enjoying the peaceful air. Infernape and Slowking were both decked out in Hawaiian shirts and wore sunglasses that Infernape had bought for them.

Slowking read the list. "Well, we'd better get started."

"Nah, man," Infernape said, slapping the list away. "Screw that noise. We're getting malasadas."

"Mal-what?" Slowking asked as Infernape dragged him away.

 **0000**

 **Slowking was applying sunscreen. "This vacation is very enjoyable, but I REALLY should worry about the challenge. I'm sure many are eager to vote me off."**

 **0000**

Munchlax was drooling as he looked through all the Kalosian restaurants and cafes. "Dude….they got escargot, and Gougère, and we could have Mousse as a dessert!"

"Cool your jets, Tubby," Scrafty said, reading over the list. "First, we're worrying about the challenge. Then you can have your diabetes."

"Okay…." Munchlax mumbled. "So where to?"

Scrafty narrowed his eye. "There's apparently a haunted house on Route fourteen that we need to visit."

Munchlax gulped. "ANOTHER HAUNTED HOUSE? Come on! Also, where is route fourteen? I've never been here. Damn it, I wish Smeargle was here."

"Hold on a minute," Scrafty said with a sigh. He walked over to a Gothitelle, tapping her on the shoulder.

" _Bonjour, mon cher. Puis-je demander où mon ami grassouillet et moi pouvions trouver Route quatorze ?"_ Scrafty asked. Munchlax's eyes widened.

The Gothitelle chuckled. _"Je pourrais vous prendre, handesome, mais vous pourriez me déçu."_

Scrafty winked over at Munchlax, who was gaping back at him.

 **0000**

" **Scrafty's bilingual?" Munchlax asked, mystified. "It's funny, the impression he gave was that he didn't have a good education."**

 **0000**

"Don't fight it so much, Umbreon, you look pretty!" Shuckle giggled as he snapped pictures with his phone. Umbreon was being tended to by several Jynx, who were struggling to hold her down to apply makeup.

"Shuckle, I swear to Arceus when I break out of here I'm going to CASTRATE YOU!"

"Haha, joke's on you," Shuckle said. "I don't even have a d-"

0000

Gallade and Grovyle skated across the ice of the Snowpoint temple, with Gallade stabbing his blade down occasionally to balance himself. Grovyle slammed into him from behind, bowling them both over.

"Ow…. sorry," Grovyle giggled. Gallade let out a chuckle as he helped her up.

"Wait…is that Regigigas?" he asked, pointing behind her.

Grovyle turned around. "Whoa, he's HUGE!"

The golem towered over them, seemingly radiating power. However, he seemed to be dormant, as the lights on his body were off.

"Well…it says we have to wake him up," Grovyle remarked. "Maybe we could…. Gallade?"

The psychic fighting type picked up a chunk of ice and threw it at Regigigas. It bounced off.

"What are you doing?" Grovyle hissed.

"Chucking things," Gallade said with a shrug. "I'm trying to wake it up."

"One of the most powerful Pokemon to exist and you're throwing ROCKS at it?" Grovyle asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Gallade said, picking up another one.

Grovyle watched him for a moment, before picking one up herself. "Well, if you can't beat him…"

0000

"How the hell did you drag me into this?" Zorua hissed to Tepig as they stood up on stage. A crowd had gathered to watch.

"I'm very persuasive," Tepig said with a wink. "We'd better start singing."

"Nope!" Zorua scowled. "Not me. No way, no how."

Tepig grinned. "Someone's jealous."

 _Don't take his bait, don't take his bait. Don't. You dare. Take. His bait. "_ What's THAT supposed to mean!" _Dammit Zorua, no!_

"Well, let's just put it like this," Tepig said. "Hit the music!"

The crowd roared as music began to waft through the stage. Tepig cleared his throat.

"Anything you can do, I can do better," he said, perfectly on key with the music.

Zorua rolled her eyes. "I can do anything better than you!"

"No, you can't!"

"Yes, I can!"

"No you can't!"

"Yes, I can, YES I can!"

0000

Ivysaur grit his teeth as he smacked the slot machine with his vine. He had nowhere near enough and it was already taking forever! "Donphan, where are you? Getting into costume shouldn't take THIS long!"

Not to mention, he was sure one of his aunts owned this casino. Already several Pokemon had tried to greet him, though they may have simply known him from the show. Either way, he hated attention. Especially attention he didn't deserve.

Someone screamed, and Ivysaur's head whipped around. Donphan had entered the building….and by Arceus, WAS HE HOLDING A GUN?

Donphan was holding the pistol towards a waiter's head with his trunk as he raised up a bag. "Put the coins in the bag! If you hurry, nobody has to bite the dust!"

Several Sandslash immediately began filling it as Ivysaur threw him a look of shock. "Donphan, what the hell are you doing?"

Donphan winked. "Method acting. Just go with the flow."

"Go with the-GO WITH THE FLOW!? YOU'RE ROBBING A CASINO!"

"Wait, is this a prank?" A Rattata asked. "Because-"

"NO IT ISN'T A PRANK, SHITSTAIN!" Donphan roared. "Now PUT THE MONEY IN THE GODDAMN BAG, OR I'LL BLOW YOUR GODDAMN HEAD OFF!"

 **0000**

 **Ivysaur covered his eyes with his vines. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE PEOPLE IN THIS SHOW?"**

 **0000**

"And that's the story of the creepy mansion," the tired looking Sligoo finished. Munchlax yawned, but Scrafty was fast asleep. "Can I get a tip?"

"Dude the story sucked balls," Munchlax said. "You should really do something better with your life."

Sligoo burst out in tears. "I KNOW! My OWN MOTHER ABANDONED ME!"

Scrafty's eyes shot open. "Whoa, I need context."

"Well, we finished our first challenge," Munchlax said. "What's next?"

Scrafty read over the list. "Uh…. we're gonna be grooming….Furfrous?"

Munchlax groaned. "Why are our challenges so BORING?"

Scrafty shrugged. "Yeah, pretty disappointing for top fifteen. You wanna grab lunch first?"

Munchlax's eyes lit up. "Do I?!"

0000

Infernape and Slowking were lying back in beach chairs, enjoying the sunlight. Slowking was eating a malasada, while Infernape simply watched the Corsola play with the Mareanie with a smile on his face as he sipped a Komala coffee.

"This has been very fun," Slowking admitted as he finished his malasada. "But we really SHOULD start the challenge."

Infernape groaned. "Ugh, fine! What do we have to do?"

Slowking chuckled. "Well, we're at the right location. We need to throw twelve Pyukumuku back into the ocean so they don't harm the beachgoers."

"Whaaaat?" Infernape said. "This is a competition, not community service!"

Slowking shrugged. "I wasn't the one who thought it up."

"Okay," Infernape muttered. "I'll go clean up. You do the thinky-thinky stuff."

As the monkey went to work, Slowking stood still, debating something in his head.

"Dammit," he said, turning around, and walking to the boardwalk. "I'm going to get more malasadas."

0000

"Gallade, I really don't think this is working," Grovyle said. They had been throwing chunks of ice at Regigigas for several minutes, and were beginning to run out of things to throw.

"Do you have any alternatives?" Gallade asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Maybe you could try singing to it," Grovyle said.

Gallade rolled his eye. "Be serious."

"I am. Look, we can't spend the entire day here. We should try anything we can."

Gallade wheeled on her. "Then why don't YOU do it?"

Grovyle went pale. "You don't want me to sing. I sound like a dying Phanpy."

"So? Not like my voice is any better," Gallade said. "Last time I sang I was arrested for disturbing the peace."

"Last time I sang, a bird exploded," Grovyle said.

"Last time I sang-"

0000

Umbreon was dancing at the Ecruteak city theater, surrounding by several Eeveeloutions in kimonos. How the hell did Victini get her to do shit like this? Not to mention Shuckle was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, at least now we only have one more task to compete," Umbreon muttered as she finally slipped away. She looked down at the bottom of her list. The Pokeathalon?

The sound of drumming made her look up. Shuckle was with a band of Pokemon she had never seen before. Shuckle was currently doing a drum solo that admittedly sounded pretty good.

"Umbreon!" Shuckle shouted. "I'm leaving Total Pokkemon to go on tour! We're going to be Genesis 2.0. Call me Phil Shuckollins!"

Umbreon groaned, dragging Shuckle away. "You're not going on tour until I kill you for the photoshoot. And I can't kill you until we finish the challenge."

"Nooo, don't force me back on the island. Peter Gardevoir, Magnemike Rutherford, save me!"

"So, what do we do now?" Tony Bayleef asked the other two.

"Think I might become a mechanic," Magnemike admitted.

0000

"Ah! Shampoo in my eyes! Shampoo in my eyes!" Munchlax cried out as he tried to wipe it off his face. Scrafty's sleeves were rolled up as he wrapped an arm around the feral Furfrou and dragged it to the ground.

"If you don't stop shaking I swear to merciful Magikarp that I will cut your goddamn ears off!" Scrafty snarled.

0000

Donphan and Ivysaur dove behind some bushes, breathing heavily.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Ivysaur asked. "Are you bonkers?"

"Well, we DID complete the challenge," Donphan said with a wide grin.

"Yeah, but now we're CONVICTS!" Ivysaur shouted. "I can't hack it in jail!"

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Donphan said. "We'll just use hand signals to warn the other if they're in danger."

"Donphan, that isn't the problem!" Ivysaur shouted. "You just robbed a casino on national television!"

"And it was believable, right? Man, colleges won't dare turn me away!"

"You ARE insane," Ivysaur remarked.

0000

"Hey, Charizard…." Sylveon said, exhausted as she dragged herself over to Charizard. She held up three ribbons.

"I got beauty, cuteness, and cleverness," Sylveon said. "Can you handle the other three?"

"Hold on, Sylveon, I think I have a lead," Charizard said, eyeing a Frosslass.

"I thought you were suspecting Gallade," Sylveon said.

"I was, but this Frosslass is suspicious," Charizard whispered. "She just arrived in Hoenn today."

"So?" Sylveon asked.

"SO, she's on the run. Since the show is live, she probably saw Umbreon suspect her and booked it."

"Gallade, that's just silly," Sylveon moaned. "Now can we just focus on the-"

"No!" Charizard growled. "I'm onto something, I can tell."

"Fine I guess I'll just…take care of the other three challenges…." Sylveon said. "Umbreon, I hate you."

Charizard didn't even watch her leave. "All right, Frosslass. Do ANYTHING and the promotion is mine."

 **0000**

 **Sylveon took deep breaths. "Inner peace, remember what Vaporeon said. Everyone has their reasons for being jerkfaces…."**

 **0000**

Scrafty and Munchlax burst out of the boutique, giggling madly. The now completely shaved Furfrou barked at them in rage as they sprinted behind an alleyway. They both collapsed, exhausted but still hysterical.

"D-dude that was AMAZING!" Munchlax giggled, looking over the photos he had taken on his phone. Scrafty leaned over him to look.

"The target on his butt was a nice touch," he admitted. "Not bad, Munchlax."

They got over their laughter as Scrafty pulled out a cigarette. He sat down, leaning against a wall. Munchlax sat down next to him as they listened to the shouts coming from the boutique.

"We're gonna be stuck here for a little while," Scrafty said as he lit the cigarette. "Want one?"

"I'm….I've never smoked," Munchlax said.

"First time for everything then," Scrafty replied, lighting one for him. Munchlax immediately began coughing.

Scrafty laughed. "That tends to happen for first timers. Don't worry, it's all about how you breath it in."

They sat there for a while, smoking, before Munchlax finally steeled his nerves to ask a question. "Why do you want to win so badly?"

Scrafty raised an eyebrow in defense. Munchlax rolled his eyes. "Come on man, who am I to judge? All you had to do to win me over was steal Ivysaur's letters and bribe me with good food."

"Try dieting man," Scrafty said with a shrug. "Then it'll be easier to say no. But as for me….."

Munchlax glanced over him as Scrafty finally opened up. "I…..have you been a fan of these types of shows, Munchlax?"

Munchlax shrugged. "Well I watched Mew's, but that's really it. I've noticed most of the other shows aren't as good in terms of quality."

"I uh…..I actually won a season of an old show, back when I was a Scraggy," Scrafty said. "In fact, I kind of played the game like you and your game of friends."

"I DO recall a Scraggy winning at some point," Munchlax admitted. "But wait….that was YOU?"

Scrafty nodded. "I got the million all right. But….see the problem with getting so much money so quickly is that we don't know what to do with it. I was happy at first but…my initial life of excess led to….my money being used for not very good purposes."

"What do you mean?" Munchlax asked. He had always seen Scrafty as a bully or a scoundrel, but now there was so much pain in his eyes that it hurt to look.

"I have an addictive personality, Munchlax," Scrafty admitted. "I had no idea what to do with the money. I had nobody to help sort it, so….more and more of it was spent on drugs and alcohol. Any semblance of a future I once had was gone in an instant. I couldn't pay bills and well, until the week before I joined the show I was homeless. This is my second chance."

Munchlax just looked at him.

"I'm pretty sure the only reason I was accepted was because of my previous victory as a Scraggy. I wasn't the only one desperate. I changed my attitude because my old one couldn't function. By becoming a schemer, I became better at surviving. Now I'm six months clean."

"B-but, if you're that desperate to win, why couldn't you tell us?" Munchlax asked. "We would have accepted you!"

"No!" Scrafty snapped, and Munchlax went quiet. "I'm not asking for pity, Munchlax, because my way is working! I'll win the competition and I'll get the money again. I won't make the same mistakes again."

"But-"

"We're not friends, Munchlax, we're allies," Scrafty said coldly. "Because I was once like you guys. I was the dumb unevolved Pokemon that went with the flow. Most Pokemon don't realize that your type is the one that wins. The type that doesn't have enough responsibility to take care of the money!"

Munchlax got to his feet. "What are you trying to do, protect me?"

"Maybe I AM protecting you!" Scrafty snarled. "I'm not gonna let myself lose, and I'm certainly not gonna let YOU win. You think I'm stupid? You'd do ANYTHING for food, just like I'd do anything for drugs a while ago. I refuse to watch someone else make my mistakes. It hurts enough."

He let out a deep breath. "We'd better get back to the challenges. We spent way too much time here."

 **0000**

" **I…damn, there's way more to Scrafty then I originally thought!" Munchlax said, his eyes wide. "Also I need self-control. Sheesh."**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty spat. "I said too much, but I don't care. Playing the way, I did last time only led to heartbreak. It's too late for friends, but it isn't too late for a fresh start."**

 **0000**

Lucario hummed as she did some workouts on the beach, occasionally casting glances at where Hariyama was lifting weights. She sighed, caving.

"Screw it, I need more character development," Lucario said. She walked over to Hariyama, who nodded at her approach.

"Young Lucario looks like she has question," Hariyama grunted, dropping the weight. Lucario nodded, looking a little awkward.

"I was actually hoping for advice. You're so unbelievably powerful. I watched all of your wrestling matches on Tv. You were able to beat Groudon, and Terrakion..."

"Pushups, sit-ups, plenty of juice," Hariyama listed. "There's more...but Hariyama is not allowed to say."

"Oh," Lucario said, feeling disappointed. "Well, do you have any idea how I could get stronger?"

Hariyama gave her a confused look. "You are strong already, no? Not much Hariyama could teach you. Easily among the most powerful of the cast."

"Apparently not!" Lucario protested. "You've seen footage. I've lost matches to Lopunny, Gallade, Shuckle, Munchlax..."

"Is Lucario joking about that last one?" Hariyama asked.

"No!" Lucario said. "I train a lot, but sometimes I feel like it isn't enough."

Hariyama chuckled. "Ah, Lucario. This is another example of unavoidable writing. Not your fault at all."

"What do you mean?" Lucario asked.

"See, often for the sake of irony, someone far less adequate will accomplish great feats for comedic reasons."

"Huh?" Lucario asked.

"Yes, it all began with classic tale of David and Goliath. Readers love underdogs. If you notice, Gallade has been defeated by Munchlax as well."

"Oh," Lucario said with a blink. "How are you so well versed on the subject?"

Hariyama shrugged. "Hariyama spends lot of time on TV tropes. But I sense you are still not quite satisfied."

"Well...the truth is I actually had a goal in mind," Lucario admitted. "I've always wanted to compete at the Pokken Tournamnet. In fact, it's most of the reason I joined the show."

"Lucario joined reality show to train for tournament?" Hariyama asked, confused.

"Well, you know, Total _Pokkemon_ Island. I thought the two were connected!"

Hariyama thought for a moment. "Well, certainly not an easy task. Only the greatest will be accepted...but perhaps..."

"Perhaps, what?" Lucario asked.

"Perhaps if Hariyama began to guide you..."

"YES! PLEASE!" Lucario begged. Hariyama gave her a kind smile.

"Very well. Your first task is to cause me to break a sweat."

"You want to fight me?" Lucario asked warily.

"Of course," Hariyama said. "Best way to improve fighting is by fighting."

"Can't argue with that," Lucario admitted as she and Hariyama got into fighting stances.

"BEGIN!"

0000

 _"Any note you can hold, I can hold longer,"_ Tepig sang, wrapped up in his performance.

" _I can hold any note longer than you!"_ Zorua snarled.

 _"No, you can't!"_

 _"Yes, I can!"_

" _No, you caaan't!"_

" _Yes, I caaaan!"_

" _No, you caaaaaaan't!"_ Tepig smirked. _Beat that,_ he said without speaking. Zorua caught the message and took a deep breath.

 _"Yes, I caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-"_

0000

"I think that's all of them," Slowking said, tossing the last Pyukumuku behind his back. Infernape grinned.

"Alright, dude! What's next?"

"Surfing, apparently," Slowking said. "Have you ever-oh."

Infernape had gone pale. "I-I'm not doing it."

Slowking sighed. "Infernape..."

"I'm a fire type!" Infernape hissed. "Do you want me TO DIE?"

"Well, if it won me immunity..." Slowking said, before catching sight of Infernape's withering glare.

"I-It was a joke, Infernape! A joke, I swear!"

0000

"Why are you doing this to me!?" Shuckle wailed as he tried to defend the goal as a Hitmonlee landed shot after shot on him.

"Because I did the last two things!" Umbreon shouted, holding up her phone. "Also, it's hilarious!"

"You're going to lose us the challenge!" Shuckle said, diving at a snail's pace. "We could be eliminated!"

"Who gives a shit?"

0000

 _"-aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!"_ Zorua finished, gasping for the air at the end.

"Ain't she great, blokes?" Tepig asked the crowd. "Give her a hand!"

The crowd erupted into raucous applause. Zorua collapsed, but Tepig managed to catch her.

"How...how did you get me into it?" Zorua asked.

"Well, one day I just so happened to pass you in the shower by complete accident-"

"Perve," Zorua groaned, too exhausted to hit him.

"-And I heard you singing, so I figured it had to be a secret passion. I coupled that with your natural competitiveness and I thought it'd work. I'm studying to be a psychologist, you see."

"Wait...are you serious?" Zorua asked.

Tepig snickered. "Hell no! I Just want to drive a truck! Now come on, I'm treating you to the amusement park! You earned it."

"Wait...what about the challenge?" Zorua asked as he helped her offstage. 

"Who gives a shit?"

0000

"Wow, Gallade, your voice actually IS awful," Grovyle said with a giggle.

"I told you," Gallade muttered, not even bothering to hide his smile. "It woke up Regigigas though, didn't it?"

"More like gave him nightmares," Grovyle said. "Still...Route 217 was amazing! It's so quiet, and it's completely untouched by civilization!"

"I...wish I got to go more places as a kid," Gallade admitted. "I was always cramped in my city."

They were sitting at a cozy college outside of Route 217, doing their best to warm up after spending the last few hours in the cold. Grovyle, feeling comfortable, leaned back in her armchair.

"Maybe once everything with Kirlia is sorted out...you two could move in with me?" Grovyle asked, like she had been planning the question for a long time.

Gallade looked up in surprise. "I-I couldn't. I won't intrude on your-"

"It wouldn't be intruding!" Grovyle said a little too quickly. "I...look...I like you a lot Gallade, and I was wondering if maybe you and I..."

Gallade looked away, and Grovyle shocked to see him blush. "I'm sorry Grovyle. There's a lot I need to think about, and I'm afraid anything closer would complicate my feelings even more."

Grovyle's eyes widened in shock. That bastard! He was hiding from her again. "I'm not trying to force anything on you Gallade. Look, you've spent your whole life doing what you had to. Don't you want to think about what you WANT to do?"

Gallade shook his head. "I can't be selfish like that. Even now...every time we do something fun, I feel so guilty thinking about what Kirlia's gone through. I'm not strong enough to protect her and-"

"Cut the crap, Gallade!" Grovyle said. "You're ONE person. In all honesty, why not just tell Victini or Hariyama that..."

"What kind of fool do you take me for!?" Gallade snarled. Grovyle flinched, but Gallade had his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry for yelling...but Bisharp and his gang have been sending me letters ever since I confided in you."

"They WHAT?" Grovyle asked.

"Under the guise of relatives," Gallade muttered. "They told me in horrible detail what they'd do to my sister if I told anyone else. And they strongly advised that I get you eliminated as well."

"Were you going to do it?" Grovyle asked.

Gallade gave her a miserable look. '"I don't know. I'm confused and I'm tired. I just want to give up. I'm tired of what life does to the nicest Pokemon."

"Gallade..."

Gallade spat on the ground. "No good deed goes unpunished. Kirlia's done nothing wrong in her life, and look at the shit she's had to go through. I'm the one being punished, aren't I? That's how Arceus hurts you, Grovyle. He leaves you unblemished, but he'll go for the Pokemon closest to you!"

"Gallade, you're rambling-"

"Shut up! I hate this world! This stupid, Growlithe eat Growlithe world where the good die young and the bad have to spend their life regretting!" Gallade growled, rising to his feet, finally looking as though he snapped.

He grabbed a table and threw it at the wall, before slicing through the ancient television with a psycho cut. "Just kill her here, Bisharp! The pain of the suspense is far worse than anything you to Kirlia!"

He gritted his teeth as he began to glow in a harsh light. "I... need someone to fight. Someone to even understand remotely my pai-"

SLAP!

The shock of Grovyle's hand upside his head stopped him in his tracks. Grovyle was seething at him.

"You need to get a grip," she growled. "The world owes you nothing, and acting like a vicious monster is only going to hurt the people closest to you. Now stop throwing a temper tantrum and talk about this like an adult."

Gallade flopped down. "I'm...sorry, I went too-"

"Forget about it," Grovyle said coolly. "Our world is just a set of circumstances. Our actions determine how we end up. If you want to give up, then you deserve whatever pain is sent your way."

Gallade looked down. "I've never asked anyone this, but what do YOU think I should do?"

Grovyle thought for a moment. "Well, Bisharp seems like he isn't a very negotiable type, does he?"

Gallade shrugged. "Depends on the situation. If money is involved, he's open minded."

"Ask Ivysaur," Grovyle said in a firm voice. "I'm sure Bisharp wouldn't do anything to Kirlia if they knew that Ivysaur had enough money to compensate."

"I...that's a very awkward thing to ask," Gallade muttered.

"Hey, you have to swallow your pride if you want to save her," Grovyle said. "You'll do anything for Kirlia, right?"

"Of course," Gallade said, sounding offended.

"Then ask. Ivysaur's a nice guy, you know that," Grovyle said soothingly.

"Still, what if he DOES refuse? Bisharp won't be very happy," Gallade said in defense. "Ivysaur's family is very powerful financially."

"it depends on how desperate they are to get the money," Grovyle said. "They do anything to Kirlia, and you're free from their clutches They want that million."

Gallade nodded. "Very well. It's better than waiting. I still plan to win as a fallback option."

Grovyle grinned. "Then let's keep doing the challenge, partner. We gotta... buy Palkia a birthday present."

Gallade raised an eyebrow. "What the hell would the overlord dragon of space possibly want?"

"Eh, get him something simple like a razor, I don't know. Now come on, Mount Coronet isn't far away!"

 **0000**

 **"She's a very inspiring woman," Gallade admitted. "I think I might even see a way out."**

 **0000**

"Why are our challenges so GODDAMN boring?" Munchlax groaned as he and Scrafty sorted through poke balls at the factory. "And what are Poke balls even used for these days anyway? Humans are extinct!"

Scrafty rolled his eyes. "Says the one not bitten by the Furfrou. Let's just win the immunity already. Kalos was a bust."

"I bet if Smeargle was my partner we would've had fun," Munchlax pouted as he tossed away a premier ball.

"Why do you keep mentioning Smeargle?" Scrafty asked. "He was eliminated second; we barely knew him."

"He had such a sweet French accent though," Munchlax protested. "Speaking of which, when did YOU learn French?"

Scrafty groaned. "I told you, I didn't start off so bad. I got a good education and all before the damn show. Now I work at a gas station."

"Oh."

"Why are YOU so interested in me?" Scrafty snapped. "Don't you hate me?"

"I don't think even Shuckle HATES you," Munchlax said. "I thought since y'know, we're working together-"

"After I practically forced you," Scrafty said. "Why aren't you bothered by me?"

"Well...you're a fun guy to hang around?" Munchlax asked himself. "I mean, you act like a jerk and this challenge has been pretty boring, but I've been having fun."

"...Really?" Scrafty asked. Munchlax nodded as he worked through the balls.

Scrafty tapped his chin. "Huh. How 'bout that."

0000

"Whoa dude, gnarly work out there!" Infernape shouted over to Slowking, who was doing his best not to fall off his surfboard.

"Infernape, I think you're a wonderful person," Slowking growled. "But if you don't shut up I'm going to give you a lobotomy with my psychic powers. And yes, that is something I can do."

0000

Lucario took deep breaths, glaring over at Hariyama. The sumo wrestler looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat.

"Your endurance is impressive," Hariyama said. "But your defenses could use a lot of work."

Lucario smirked. "That's what you think." She let out a growl as aura flowed through her. Hariyama could actually FEEL the energy.

"Ah...clever."

"The more damage I take, the more powerful my aura becomes!" Lucario announced. With a grunt, she focused her power into her palms, creating an aura sphere.

Hariyama's eyes widened as Lucario launched a giant aura sphere, ripping the ground under it as it flew towards Hariyama. The sumo wrestler caught it with both hands, grunting as it forced him backwards several feet.

With a roar, Hariyama launched the aura sphere high in the air, before vanishing. Lucario cocked her head in confusion before Hariyma was suddenly behind her, throwing quick consecutive jabs.

Lucario collapsed, no longer in control of her own body. Hariyama chuckled.

"Very impressive performance."

"Whoa! That was AWESOME!" Victini exclaimed, floating over. Hariyama glanced up.

"I thought young Victini was focused on challenge," Hariyama said.

"I just thought I'd give you an update," Victini said. "Scrafty and Munchlax are about to finish their third task, so they're in first place. Sylveon, Charizard, Gallade, and Grovyle are on their way to completing their second, while Slowking and Infernape just started their third. Shuckle and Umbreon are on their third as well, but they're experiencing difficulties."

"What kind of difficulties?" Hariyama asked.

"Well….they're doing the Pokeathalon challenge, but um…. Umbreon's making Shuckle do all the work…"

Hariyama raised an eyebrow. "Why? Shuckle has muscles of soggy noodles."

"Just Umbreon being Umbreon. Oh, and Tepig and Zorua are seemingly oblivious to the challenge and just want to hang out at the amusement park," Victini groaned. "Why the hell do I even bother?"

"Wait, that still leaves Ivysaur and Donphan!" Lucario said. "What about them?"

Victini blinked. "Oh right! Almost forgot! Let me check….." his eyes closed as he concentrated for a moment, before snapping open.

"DAMMIT DONPHAN, WHAT DID YOU DO!?" Victini screamed, before he teleported. Hariyama and Lucario stated at where he had disappeared.

"Should….should we be worried about that?" Lucario asked.

Hariyama shrugged. "Nah. Want to get some protein shakes?"

Lucario grinned. "Sounds delicious."

0000

Sylveon collapsed on her side, bringing down the two bikes she had been riding with her. "All right, that wasn't so bad. I just lost Charizard, no big deal."

She looked over her list. "Okay, we have to clear the trick house. That should be easy, right? Why am I talking to myself again?"

She groaned. "CHARIZARD, WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU?"

Charizard has his grip on the Froslass, and was growling at the ice type. The Froslass tried to escape his grip, but it was too powerful.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Froslass shrieked. "I just came to visit my family!"

"Bullshit!" Charizard growled. "Where were you that night!? You still haven't answered!"

"Wh-what?"

"Say what again! I dare you! I DOUBLE-"

"Charizard, what are you DOING?" Sylveon asked, running over. Charizard blinked at her.

"It's called bad cop. You just missed good cop-"

Sylveon slapped him across the face with a ribbon. "No, you idiot! You can't just traumatize every possible suspect you see!"

Charizard blinked, before rubbing his head. "Ow, I….I'm sorry, I'm feeling a little off."

He let go of Froslass, who immediately dropped down, taking deep breaths. Sylveon threw her an apologetic look and helped her pick up her bags.

"Sorry honey," Sylveon said. "He just gets REALLY worked up sometimes. Don't judge him too harshly."

Frosslass floated away as soon as she had her bags together, throwing Sylveon a grateful nod.

"Okay, we need to talk," Sylveon said, narrowing her eyes at Charizard.

Charizard raised an eyebrow. "When the hell did you get so confident?"

"Umbreon's been teaching me how to confront people better, but that's not the point," Sylveon said. "What is UP with you? You were always a little grumpy, but this is excessive."

Charizard nodded. "I-I know. I think I need to lie down, or-"

"Oh, no you don'!" Sylveon yelped. "I finished the first two tasks singlehandedly. Do you know how hard it is to ride two bikes at the same time up bicycle road?"

"Wait, you did wha-?" Charizard asked.

"No more talking! Trick house, now!" Sylveon yelled, dragging Charizard by the ribbons.

 **0000**

 **Charizard rubbed his head. "She's an odd one, but she's probably the only person on the damn show that doesn't hate me at this point."**

 **He thought for a moment. "She's right, though. I've been acting very odd since the merge, and I'm not sure why. My brain's fuzzy, but it feels like I don't have a filter anymore. I used to keep my opinions quiet, but now every thought just flies through my mouth!"**

 **0000**

 **Sylveon looked thoughtful. "I should probably ask Umbreon about this. I'm wondering-could someone be doing this to him? Maybe a psychic trick or something. I'll see what I can find out, because I'm tired of dealing with him."**

 **0000**

Ivysaur and Donphan were sitting in a jail cell, Ivysaur's vines covering his face. Donphan was playing the harmonica in a long and mournful tune.

"My dad's gonna kill me," Ivysaur whispered as Donphan played. "I wonder if I could get away with strangling you by blaming it on the inmates."

Victini flew through, sliding to a stop in front of them. "DONPHAN, WHY? JUST TELL ME WHY!"

Donphan played a note. "Cuz I'm baaaaaaaaaaaad to the bone!"

"No," Victini said, his face darkening. He shot a blast of fire from his finger and incinerated the instrument.

"Now I'm getting you two out of here and we're never speaking of this again," Victini said. He opened the door, letting Donphan and Ivysaur out.

"Oy!" a Watchog officer shouted, walking over. "Who said you could move the prisoners?"

Victini rolled his eyes. "Relax, there's been a misunderstanding. I'm taking these two home because I'm a legendary Pokemon; we can do what we want."

Watchog tutted. "I'm going to need to see some identification."

Victini rolled his eyes, tossing his card. "Whatever dude, here."

Watchog read it for a moment, before his eyes narrowed. "This expired seven years ago. You aren't taking these prisoners anywhere!"

"WHAT!" Victini shouted.

"Sir, you're going to have to come with me," Watchog said.

"What are we gonna do?" Ivysaur whispered.

Victini groaned. "Okay, fine. New plan!"

He shot blasts of fire erratically, forcing all the officers to divide. "SCATTER! RUN FOR IT!?"

 **0000  
Victini groaned. "I'm not even legally a legendary Pokemon anymore? COME ON!"**

 **0000**

Scrafty and Munchlax were leaning against the edge of a Kalos cruise ship they had managed to stow away on. Scrafty was watching a show on Munchlax's phone.

"Sweet merciful space goat that is Arceus," Scrafty said through a long whistle. "I thought this was a kid's show! He just slit her freaking throat!"

Munchlax shook his head. "No, see the show originally aired on Cartoon Network. When it was finally renewed for season five it switched over to Adult Swim."

"Well, speaking of Adult Swim," Scrafty said, leaning over the boat. "We're going to have to jump overboard soon. We're pretty close to the island. I can't swim well, so I'm going to use your belly as a flotation device."

"That is horribly offensive," Munchlax said, not looking away from his phone. "Aww…. poor wolf…"

"Focus, Munchlax."

"Sorry."

0000

"Woohoo! We finally made it to Mt. Lanakila!" Infernape cheered. Slowking was a few paces behind him.

"That took a long time, Infernape," Slowking admitted. "We're going to have to hurry back."

Infernape blinked. "But how? We're on top of an ice mountain!"

Slowking sighed. "I'm not sure if it's cheating, but I can teleport us close to the island. It'll cut our time quickly."

"Sure dude!" Infernape exclaimed, allowing Slowking to tap him on the shoulder. They vanished from the mountain, appearing right into the open sea.

"AHH! CAN'T SWIM! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Infernape screamed thrashing wildly.

Slowking rolled his eyes. "Forgot, sorry." He created a barrier around them, lifting it up from the water.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Infernape, you're safe now!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-Ok. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Infernape continued to squeal until Slowking smacked him across the face. Infernape apologized.

Slowking narrowed his eyes. "I can just make out the island up ahead. We can pull this off!"

He created an oar out of water, sitting atop the bubble barrier and began to push them forward.

" _Woo-oo, we're halfway there! ~"_ Infernape said, pumping a fist. Slowking raised an eyebrow.

"You're a Bon Joltik fan?" Slowking asked.

Infernape blushed. "Yeah, man. His lyrics are always stuck in my head. Why, is that weird?"

Slowking stared at him for a long time.

0000

"I DID IT!" Shuckle screamed as he finally broke the last block. "All I had to do was use power swap on the Slaking that was passing by!"

"Wonderful job, Hercules," Umbreon said with a chuckle. "Only took you four hours."

"Ow. Rude. But yeah, we're probably going to lose," Shuckle admitted. "Unless…."

"Unless what?" Umbreon asked.

"I HAVE AN IDEA, UMBREON! BY MY SWEET BUTTERFREE FATHER WE CAN WIN THIS!"

"Your father was a Butterfree-?"

"But first, we need to go to Ilex forest!" Shuckle said.

"Dude, that trip will take like two days. Why the hell do you even-"

"Time is of no consequence my dear Watson! Onwards!"

 **0000  
Umbreon chuckled. "When Shuckle gets an idea, he gets all excited about it and starts going over the top. It's actually kind of cute."**

 **0000**

" _Wooooooo-oooooo LIVIN' ON A PRAYER!"_ Slowking and Infernape sang together. Infernape was playing the air guitar and Slowking was using spoons as drumsticks as he played them against his own barrier.

"Wait hold on! Is that…. Scrafty?" Infernape asked. Slowking cursed and turned around. Scrafty was using Munchlax as a raft as he kicked forward.

"Dammit, we're not going fast enough! Hurry up!" Slowking shouted, dropping the spoons and willing them faster with his mind.

 **0000**

" **They have a good set of lungs," Munchlax admitted. "Once we heard the singing we just followed it."**

 **0000**

"Gallade, I'm having second thoughts," Grovyle admitted. Gallade scoffed, but on the inside, he was just as concerned.

"We basically got him bare essentials," Gallade said. "How mad could he possibly get?"

Grovyle rubbed her arm. "I know, but have you heard all the horror stories about Palkia? Apparently, he's pretty messed up."

They were standing on top of Spear Pillar, looking over a shrine to Palkia. Gallade shrugged. "We could just leave it here. Victini never said we couldn't-"

"GAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!" came a cackle as a portal appeared in front of them. A giant form of a bipedal dragon flew out, letting out raucous cackles as he slammed his feet into the ground.

"WHO HAS THE NERVE TO CALL MY NAME?" Palkia shrieked. "THE MOST POWERFUL POKEMON OF ALL SPACE!"

"Don't you mean, 'of all time'?" Grovyle asked, surprised she was this calm. Palkia sneered at her.

"I KNOW WHAT I SAID. DON'T YOU DARE BRING MY SISTER INTO THIS! STATE YOUR BUISNESS OR I WILL KICK YOU LOSERS INTO NEXT WEEK!"

"Pretty sure that's another reference to time," Gallade said before he could stop himself. Palkia roared and threw a special rend at Gallade's feet. The explosion sent Gallade sprawling.

"Hold on!" Grovyle said. "We have uh…presents for you!"

Palkia stopped. "I'm listening."

"We're ambassadors of Victini, and-"

"Not that little shit! What's he doing, trying to smarm up to me?" Palkia asked.

Gallade rose to his feet with a groan as Grovyle shrugged. "I don't know. We're just doing it for a challenge-"

"CHALLENGE? WHAT IS THIS ABOUT A CHALLENGE?" Palkia's voice boomed. Grovyle and Gallade flinched.

"We're contestants on a reality show," Grovyle admitted.

Palkia narrowed his eyes. "And VICTINI'S hosting it? That's WHY he hasn't been catching up on his legendary duties?"

"Grovyle I think this was a mistake," Gallade said.

Grovyle nodded, throwing a bag at Palkia. "These are for you, BYE!"

Palkia picked up a bottle. "…..Old spice? I'M ALLERGIC TO OLD SPICE!"

He stomped on the ground, causing Gallade and Grovyle to freeze in place. The legendary Pokemon was warping space to prevent them from moving.

"BECAUSE OF THAT SHITBIRD VICTINI, I LOST MY LAST FIGHT AGAINST DIALGA! I'M DRAGGING HIM DOWN, AND IT'S GOING TO START WITH YOU-"

"Enough Palkia. Remember what your psychologist told you."

A second portal had opened, releasing the legendary ruler of time. She had a sharp voice that almost made her sound more intimidating then her brother. I thought Manaphy taught you empathy."

Palkia wheeled on her, but Dialga had already countered his power with her own. Grovyle and Gallade found themselves suddenly able to move.

"Sorry, guys. You two go back to your show. Palkia just has some issues he needs to work out."

"I'LL WORK YOUR FACE OUT, TEMPORAL TWIT!"

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"NEITHER DOES YOUR FACE!"

Grovyle nudged Gallade. "We'd better leave."

 **0000**

 **Grovyle shivered. "Terrifying. If Palkia had his way, who knows what could have happened."**

 **0000**

 **Gallade chuckled. "Legendary ruler of space is an egotistical brat? That's almost funny."**

 **0000**

Scrafty, Slowking, Munchlax, and Infernape raced towards the finish, Scrafty swinging his oar and catching Slowking in the face.

"You're not getting immunity again, pink boy," Scrafty snarled as he and Munchlax took the lead. Munchlax spat out water.  
"This is soooo demeaning," Munchlax mumbled. "I'm a person, not a flotation device."

"I don't care what you are, just keep floating," Scrafty groaned as he approached the beach. "Slowking leaves TONIGHT!"

Slowking burst out of the water, churning up waves around him as he focused his psychic powers. "I'm not going anywhere."

With a roar, he created a tidal wave that blasted Scrafty and Munchlax off course as another lifted Infernape in the air.

Slowking shot towards the beach like a jet, catching Infernape as he past. He grinned as he approached the beach. Safe for another challenge….

Just as he was about to reach it, a portal opened above their heads and Shuckle and Umbreon toppled out, crashing into them

"Whoa!" Victini said, floating forward as Hariyama dove into the water to save Scrafty and Munchlax. "Photo finish!"

"Wh-who won?" Infernape croaked. He caught sight of Donphan and Ivysaur, who were sitting near the totem pole. "Wait, did they get there first?"

Victini growled. "No. They've been disqualified for other reasons. Also, Umbreon and Shuckle, we're talking about this."

Shuckle, now sporting a beard, grinned up at Victini. "What's up?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, WHAT'S UP? WHY DID YOU FLY OUT OF A PORTAL?"

"Oh, that was my brilliant plan!" Shuckle exclaimed. "Okay, so we knew we weren't going to win, so we walked ALL the way back to Ilex forest to talk to Celebi."

"YOU USED TIME TRAVEL?" Victini shrieked. "DUDE, THERE ARE WARRANTIES AND REGULATIONS!"

"Well, she wasn't a big fan of us bending the rules," Shuckle admitted. "So Umbreon and I went to Vermilion city, where Mew likes to hang out under this truck…."

Victini's eyes went wide. "PLEASE tell me you didn't-"

"Tell him about the show?" Shuckle asked. "Pssh, of course not. But he loved the concept of the loophole so much he took us back to Celebi and had her send us back in time."

Victini groaned. "And how long did that take?"

Shuckle and Umbreon glanced at each other as they did the math. "That would be two….no…three months?"

"YOU'VE BEEN GONE FOR- you know what, forget it," Victini groaned. "Challenge is over, and since I can't determine who got here first, all of you guys have immunity. You and Lucario. Pass the message to the others when they arrive, and I'll see you at the ceremony."

He floated off, muttering to himself about loopholes.

 **0000**

 **Slowking took a deep breath. "THAT was close."**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty smoked calmly, before kicking the confessional wall in anger. "DAMMIT!"**

 **0000**

"Well, now what are we going to do?" Munchlax asked. "Slowking's immune."

"No shit," Scrafty said. "I have the votes ready, but nobody to aim for. I guess we'll just have to vote for another threat. Grovyle, Zorua, Shuckle-'"

Munchlax flinched at Shuckle's name, causing Scrafty to groan. "You know what? Fine. Go hang out with Shuckle again. I'm not a complete douchebag."

"Wait, really?" Munchlax asked.

"Just be SURE he doesn't vote for me," Scrafty said.

Munchlax wrapped him in a tight hug before sprinting off. Scrafty shook his head and grinned.

"I'm going to miss him when he is eliminated."

0000

"So, we're voting for who Scrafty told us?" Ivysaur asked, looking a little unsure. 

"Yeah," Infernape said. "I mean I feel like kind of a dick for it, but you guys are always telling me that we have to vote SOMEONE."

Donphan punched him in the shoulder with his trunk. "See, you're learning. Also, lucky, you won immunity!"

Ivysaur's eye twitched. "WE could have won immunity, if YOU HADN'T GOTTEN US ARRESTED!"

Donphan groaned. "Are you still on about that?"

"Am I still-WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!"

0000

Gallade was sitting by himself, nodding at Scrafty when he approached. "I assume you have someone you want me to vote for?"

Scrafty nodded. "Zorua. She's dangerous, and I'm sure you know that."

Gallade nodded. "I heard she mellowed though."

"Does it matter? Do YOU want to face her in the finale?" Scrafty asked.

"No, and I have no qualms about eliminating her. I'll do as you say," Gallade muttered.

"Pleasure doing business with ya," Scrafty said with a smirk.

 **0000**

" **I feel an odd sort of kinship with Scrafty," Gallade admitted. "I have a feeling that we've lived similar lives."**

 **0000**

"Grovyle, can I talk to you?"

Grovyle's head jumped up, smashing her head against the bedpost. "OW!"

She whirled around, looking over to where Munchlax was smiling sheepishly. "Um…sorry."

"It's fine Munchlax…what do you want?" Grovyle asked.

"Well, I keep hearing that you're the advice girl," Munchlax admitted. "I kind of have a conundrum."

Grovyle grinned. "I really should get paid at this point. What up?"

"I kinda wanted to patch things up with Shuckle, but I'm not sure exactly how to go about it," Munchlax admitted. "Any advice?"

"Honestly? Just apologize," Grovyle said. "I'm not sure what Scrafty did, but you seemed to have-"

"Wait, did what?" Munchlax asked "Scrafty didn't do anything to me."

Grovyle raised an eyebrow. "Really? Shuckle told me he was up to no good and had dirt on you."

Munchlax blinked. "Oh. Well it's not true. Scrafty and I are just friends, and Shuckle and I just drifted apart after Bidoof left."

"Oh," Grovyle said. "Well, okay then. In that case, just say something to break the ice. He's been trying to do the same, so I'm sure SOMETHING will work out."

"Oh, okay! Thanks, Grovyle!" Munchlax said. "If you're sure it'll work."

"Of course, it will," Grovyle said. "You two have had such a good friendship. It'll work out."

Munchlax ran off, leaving Grovyle leaning against the cabin door. She tapped her chin. "So, is Scrafty NOT a jerk?"

0000

"Hey, Shuckle?" Munchlax asked, stumbling forward. "I um…wanted to talk to you about something."

Shuckle was doing his best to shave his beard, but saw Munchlax through the mirror. "M-Munchlax."

"Hey man. I just wanted to congratulate you on immunity and-"

Shuckle spun and tackled him in a hug, knocking them both over. "WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME?"

Munchlax groaned. "I'm sorry. Scrafty um…. kinda had leverage over me. Or…. well…still does."

"Like what?" Shuckle asked. "Did he threaten you?"

"Um…he took a bunch of Ivysaur's and food and has been bribing me with it," Munchlax said.

Shuckle slapped him in the face. "YOU WEAK PIECE OF SHIT!"

Munchlax chuckled. "Hey, you would have done the same thing if it was a pile of buckets."

"That is beside the-! Actually, that's a good point," Shuckle admitted. "And he's letting you talk to me?"

Munchlax nodded. "He uh…made me promise that we wouldn't go for him though."

"Dude, I can't promise that! He's dangerous!" Shuckle protested.

"I know, I know," Munchlax warned. "Look, I'll think of something. Just don't vote for him tonight, okay?"

Shuckle sighed. "Alright. Good to have you back, buddy."

 **0000**

" **I'm still voting for Scrafty," Shuckle muttered. "Munchlax may be talking to me again, but I'm sure Scrafty had a reason for it. Little weasel won't escape me THAT easily."**

 **0000**

 **Slowking smirked. "Nice to be immune. I vote for Zorua."**

 **0000**

" **Zorua," Gallade muttered. "Whatever keeps me longer in the game."**

 **0000**

"Okay, WE NEED TO TALK!" Victini hissed. "I gave you all that freedom, and you couldn't take it without screwing everything up!"

He pointed at Donphan and Ivysaur. "You two got arrested, and now Palkia wants to MURDER ME. Not to mention we're getting lawsuits from Furfrou boutique and the Nimbasa amusement park!"

"Whatever," Tepig muttered. "I just thought the roller coaster would be more fun if it went backwards. Sue me."

"EXACTLY!" Victini shouted. He took a deep breath. "Still, this is our first ceremony in a while, so I'd better savor it. I can't wait to start!"

The campers looked more tense than usual. Charizard was gritting his teeth, Zorua's teeth were clenched, and Gallade closed his eye.

"If I call your names, you're safe!" Victini announced. "Slowking, Shuckle, Infernape, and Umbreon. You guys are immune."

Slowking winked at Scrafty, who gave him the finger in response.

"Sylveon, Ivysaur, Donphan, Charizard, and Gallade. You guys are safe."

Gallade took a deep breath of relief as Ivysaur and Donphan high fived. Charizard noticed a sea of glares, causing him to scoff.

Munchlax was crossing his fingers, while Scrafty simply folded his arms. Grovyle glanced around at her remaining combatants, while Zorua threw Victini a defiant glare. Tepig wasn't even paying attention, snoring with his hat over his head, Indiana Jones style.

"Ugh, get up here you lazy pig," Victini growled. "Munchlax, you're the last one who didn't get ANY votes."

Munchlax breathed a huge sigh of relief, marching up, leaving three remaining.

"All three of you managed to drum up some votes," Victini said. "Grovyle, you might be considered a threat. Zorua has been sabotaging since the beginning, as you're all sure."

"Yeah, single me out why don't you?" Zorua snarled.

"That leaves Scrafty, who's beginning to become a lot more ambitious, isn't he? Too bad your plan failed."

Scrafty didn't say a word, leaning back and clenching his fist. As long as nobody betrayed him….

"Zorua!" Victini announced. Zorua took a deep sigh. "You may or may not be safe as I announce Scrafty first."

Zorua swore loudly as Scrafty snorted with laughter. Grovyle and Zorua glanced at each other nervously.

"Who's it gonna be? The environmentalist or the copycat? The final Poffin goes to…."

Gallade took a deep breath. It was okay. Scrafty had promised-

"Zorua."

Zorua, looking stunned, caught the Poffin. "I….wow…I wasn't expecting that!"

"WHAT!?" Gallade snarled.

Next to him, Scrafty hissed. "Someone must have betrayed us!'

Grovyle groaned. "I-okay. I'll go. I'm sorry Gallade. It looks like I can't help you out after all."

 **0000**

 **Gallade took deep breaths. "Control….try to control your emotions….for her…."**

 **0000**

" **They thought Grovyle was more threatening than ME?" Zorua asked incredulously. "That's offensive as hell."**

 **0000**

 **Grovyle wiped away a tear. "I honestly didn't expect to leave! I thought everyone liked me! Was I a threat or something?"**

 **She took a deep breath. "Still, I had a great time, and I don't regret a single minute. Gallade, I really hope you win. And uh…. Tepig too, I guess. He was a friend, I think?"**

 **She narrowed her eyes. "I'm going to do some research when I get home. To be as vague as I can get away with, I'm going to make someone pay."**

 **0000**

Grovyle dropped her suitcase onto the boat, letting out a sigh. "Damn, I was so used to this place that it's gonna feel so weird to be anywhere else."

"Hey."

She turned around, looking at a tired Gallade. "Hi Gallade."

Gallade took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for involving you in this. I have a feeling that this is my fault."

"Even if it was, I don't blame you," Grovyle said. "Just please promise me one thing."

"I can't promise that I'll win," Gallade muttered. "I-"

"No," Grovyle interrupted. "I want you to promise to not become the way you were before. I've had so much fun these last few days. You're a cool guy, and I want other Pokemon to know that too."

Gallade looked down. "I'll try. It just…isn't easy."

"I know." Before Gallade could react, she kissed him on the cheek. "The reason I didn't make you promise to win is because I know you'll do it."

The boat drove off, and Gallade watched it until it disappeared on the horizon. He took a deep breath.

"I'll win. Grovyle. I'll win for you and for Kirlia. I owe you something I can't even put into words."

 **0000**

 **Scrafty leaned back in the confessional, smoking. "Exit Grovyle. Gecko girl should have known better then to get smart. Munchlax told me everything, and now Gallade's weaker. Plus, he still trusts me because he thinks I voted for Zorua."**

 **He groaned. "I can't really call this much of a victory though, because Slowking's still here. I have to lie low until I reach the top ten, because the whole group vote thing could turn on me faster than Talonflame left the island. Munchlax and Gallade are decent enough pawns, so I'll probably drop one as a stepping stone."**

 **He leered at the camera. "I may have come off nicer here, but it doesn't change shit. I don't need friends, I don't need integrity, but I NEED the money. I'll do what it takes."**

 **0000**

That's all folks!

I legitimately like how this chapter came out, which is pretty rare for me. I don't know, did I do good? Did I fail miserably?

The challenge was a bit of an apology for not doing a World Tour Season. I do kinda wish that I put more focus on the locations (especially you, Hoenn) but I REALLY wanted to focus on character development and the interactions.

For once, I actually think I did okay on writing Gallade, because I've been struggling with him in a lot of ways. Speaking of Gallade, yes, Grovyle went first. A lot of you guys wanted or predicted Grovyle to win, but nnnnnope! While Gallade has room to improve, Grovyle hit her peak.

That being said, what did you think? Predictions, questions, edgic systems, lists (I LOVE LISTS GIVE ME THEM), anything in a review would be wonderful nourishment for me.

Love you guys, so see you soon!

Grovyle: Review. It saves trees!


	25. Chapter 25: The Road Warriors

Whoo! Next chapter is out, relatively soon! Rejoice my friends!

0000

"Young Victini needs to, as they say, chill out," Hariyama said.

"Chill out? CHILL OUT?"

"Yes."

Victini took a deep breath. "Yeah, I know. I just…. last challenge alerted everyone to my show's presence for the first time. Which is actually a really depressing thought."

"It'll always be good as drinking game," Hariyama said, patting his friend on the back.

"But that's not the point!" Victini protested. "Dude, Palkia knows where I am now. I mean, sure, so do some of the others, but mostly Palkia!"

Victini and Hariyama were sitting across from each other at Hariyama's small cabin. Victini had been sipping tea for the last half an hour, and it was beginning to grow on the fighting type's nerves.

"Look, Palkia will probably leave you alone. He never paid much attention to Victini to begin with, yes?"

"Well yeah, but the dude's vengeful as all hell. If he knows I have a show-"

"Then Hariyama will fight him off. Not too much trouble," Hariyama growled, cracking his knuckles.

"Hariyama, dude, I know you're strong, but this is embodiment of space itself we're talking about," Victini said.

"Well, young Victini is the embodiment of victory. How well did it turn out?"

Victini glared at Hariyama, before flopping down on the table. "Point."

"Look on bright side. New interns-"

"OH SHIT! IT'S ORIENTATION DAY!" Victini screamed, flying out of the cabin. Hariyama sighed.

 **0000**

" **Victini was very lazy until recently," Hariyama said. "He is not used to so much work."**

 **0000**

"What is it, Scrafty?" Zorua asked as she saw the hoodlum approach. "Can't be good, I assume."

Scrafty rolled his eyes and dropped a cigarette. "What's with the somber tone? The Slowking plan is off."

"Yeah, to save yourself," Zorua muttered. "You're still coming to me. Get it over with, I have things to do."

Scrafty growled. She wasn't being easy today. This could get annoying real fast. "You know I could have eliminated you easily, right?"

"Yeah, but you didn't," Zorua said. "And now you won't get an opportunity. What, you want my gratitude?"

"No," Scrafty said. "I want your help. Infernape's group is a threat, and you know that better than anybody."

Zorua shrugged. "Maybe I do. Stop beating around the bush."

"Fine. Help me get rid of one of them, and then we'll target Slowking together," Scrafty said.

Zorua snorted. "And what do I get out of this?"

"Besides the luxury of losing two threats?" Scrafty asked. "I'll make sure you make it to top ten."

"Ha! You made the same promise to Ampharos and I a few challenges back, and guess who's gone?" Zorua challenged.

"What-how could I have controlled that?" Scrafty protested. "It was an automatic elimination. Look, I can't protect you against those. What do you say, Zorua? You know how much of a threat they are."

He was right. Zorua DID know. But Scrafty was a dangerous player as well. If she was going to work with him, she'd need to knock him down a peg. "Fine, but under several conditions."

Scrafty fought an urge to swear. He HATED conditions. "Name them?"

"Firstly, we don't go for Slowking until we reach the top ten. You're going to prove that you can keep me safe before I consider voting wit you."

"Long as we get rid of Infernape's gang THIS challenge?" Scrafty asked. "Fine."

"Not so fast, Buster," Zorua warned. "You're going to lose Munchlax as well."

"What?" Scrafty asked. "We'll need him for the vote!"

Zorua smirked. She had called his bluff. "Don't care. You want my help? You get him out before we reach the top ten. Then I'll know your genuine."

Scrafty considered this, tapping his chin. Just when Zorua was sure he'd refuse, he nodded. "Fine. Deal. Shake on it?"

He held out his hand. Zorua, feeling like she was selling her soul to the devil, shook it.

 **0000**

" **Damn her," Scrafty growled. "She knows I need her help, and she's taking advantage of it. The second Slowking leaves, I'm going after her like Braixen on a forest."**

 **0000**

Donphan, Ivysaur, and Infernape were playing volleyball out on the beach. Ivysaur and Donphan were teaming up on Infernape, but it didn't prevent the monkey from landing spectacular moves that showed off his flexibility.

"Uh dude…." Ivysaur said, as Infernape performed a triple flip and spiked the ball, landing easily on the net. "Maybe you wanna tone it down a bit?"

"Nonsense, old sport!" Donphan said. He was dressed like an English gentleman, complete with a pipe. "It would be quite disappointing if you went so easily on our poor souls."

Gallade watched over them, reading a book that was labeled: Socializing for Dummies. He gritted his teeth as he stumbled over the difficult words, before shaking his head. "Whatever, no use in procrastinating."

He walked over on the beach, blinking down at his footprints as they crossed with some of the others. Infernape looked up and waved, his usual goofy smile on his face.

"Hey man! Wassup!" He said. Gallade looked at his book for instruction.

"Er….hello. My name is Gallade, and I'd like to join your game."

Infernape glanced back at Ivysaur and Donphan, who were shaking their heads emphatically. Infernape grinned. "Sure man! You can be on my team!"

Gallade nodded once, trying not to look awkward as he stood next to Infernape.

"Uh…. just try not to pop the ball, okay Gallade?" Ivysaur asked.

"Of course,!" Gallade said, a bit too loud and a bit too fast. "I'll just…use my legs."

"You have er- very nice legs!" Ivysaur said. Donphan snickered.

"Thank you," Gallade said stiffly.

 **0000**

" **Okay, so I've never actually TALKED to Gallade before," Ivysaur admitted. "I had no idea what to say! I wonder why he tried, though. I always thought he was content in the shadows."**

 **0000**

 **Gallade glared at the camera. "Damn you Grovyle! Why is this so hard?"**

 **0000**

Despite his failure in social situations, Gallade was great physically. He didn't have Infernape's speed or flexibility, but his legs moved in perfect tandem with his body. He slid, kicking the volleyball up in the air and allowed Infernape to slam his fist down in a vicious spike.

Soon Ivysaur and Donphan were breathing heavily. Ivysaur wiped some sweat off with a vine. "Okay, maybe some team changing is in order. This is pretty unfair."

"Yeah, dude!" Infernape said, patting Gallade on the shoulder. "You're awesome! Way better then Shuckle and Munchlax anyway. They quit after the first match!"

"Thank you," Gallade said forcing a smile. He had to admit, he was having far more fun today then he usually ever did. "Listen, may I speak to you after the challenge, today?"

Ivysaur blinked. "Well, I mean, sure….you think there's going to be a challenge today? Last one was just yesterday."

Gallade nodded. "I saw Victini speaking with Hariyama about orientation day. I put two and two together."

"Are we to start in the near future?" Donphan drawled, still in his English accent. "Or will I need the butler to escort you out?"

Ivysaur giggled at Gallade's dumfounded expression. "Oh, don't worry, he just gets like that sometimes."

 **0000**

 **Gallade gave a crooked smile. "Very odd bunch, but there's something almost comforting about it. I have an odd feeling I can trust them."**

 **0000**

"Munchlax, I can't even look at you right now."

"Why, because you know I'm right?"

"No, because I know you're wrong!"

Lucario watched the argument between Shuckle and Munchlax as she slurped her soup. Shuckle hadn't even noticed the complex carving he was making on the lunch table.

"What the hell do you have against pineapples?" Munchlax asked. "What, did SpongeBob touch you as a kid?"

"No, that was Squid-wait hey no, don't change the subject!" Shuckle said. "And it's just a fact that pineapples and pizza don't go together."

"You just haven't tried it," Munchlax said as he chomped into his fruity meal, wiping away the sauce as he finished.

"Of course, I haven't tried it!" Shuckle said. "I can tell just by looking that it's an abomination. A BASTARDIZATION, MAN!"

"I sort of like pineapple pizza," Lucario said mildly as she raised her hand.

"Yeah, because you're both HERETICS!" Shuckle hissed. "BURN IN ETERNAL HELLFIRE! Also, I have a question."  
Lucario and Munchlax glanced at each other, before looking back at him. "What?"

"You guys get along so well, and yet your exact opposites. And then you have the weirdest similarities."

They both shrugged, before Lucario pointed at Shuckle's carving. "What….is that?"

"Oh, a pincer movement around Scrafty if things go south."

"A what?" Munchlax asked, his eyes widening. 

"Like waaaay south. Like Brazil south. Eh I guess this plan works for Slowking too, as long as we're not near a body of water. Of course I need to factor in his psychic powers….Oooh but if I get Zorua-"

"Well, I'm going to go train," Lucario said. "Hariyama's been giving me lessons."

"Oh! For Pokken Tournament, right?" Munchlax asked.

Lucario cocked her head to the side. "How did you know that?"

Munchlax chuckled. "You've been talking nonstop about it. Good luck, though! You've kicked my ass enough times for me to know that you've got what it takes."

Lucario smiled. "Thanks for the support."

Shuckle was still rambling long after Lucario was gone. Munchlax slowly slipped his hand forward and snatched the pizza from the bug type's plate. Right in front of his face.

Munchlax took a bite as Shuckle continued. "Donphan had pretty thick armor, but if we attacked at the right point-YOU'RE PUTTING PINAPPLES ON IT! DON'T THINK I DIDN'T SEE THAT!"

 **0000**

 **Munchlax rolled his eyes, but stifled a laugh. "THAT'S what he noticed, really?"**

 **0000**

 **Shuckle sighed. "I may have lost Munchlax's vote to Scrafty, but it's still nice to hang out with him again. Hopefully I can get Scrafty out as soon as possible, because that's the only way Munchlax is breaking free at this point."**

 **0000**

"Sylveon, do we really have to do this?" Charizard asked. He was sitting in a beanbag chair, facing Sylveon, who was sitting behind a makeshift desk, wearing glasses as she read over a book. He had to admit, she didn't look too shabby with them on….

"Look, just tell me how you're feeling. You were a good leader, and I don't want to see you like this," Sylveon said.

Charizard looked down. "Well, I've been feeling angrier lately. And uh…it's a lot harder to conceal what I've been really thinking."

Sylveon nodded. "Do you have any idea of the cause?"

Charizard scratched his head. "I-well I've been thinking about that. I've always liked to be in control, which is part of the reason I became an officer in the first place. When there were teams in place, everything was fine because I was in charge. But now that they're dissolved…."

"You feel helpless," Sylveon finished. "Or at least that's what your implying."

"Yeah," Charizard admitted, before he blinked in confusion. "Wait, why the hell am I telling you this?"

"When Grovyle left, she lent me some books on psychology," Sylveon said. "I'll never be as good an advice-giver as her, but I wanted to try. Besides, at this point, would anyone else even listen to you?"

Charizard huffed. "That's a good point, actually. I…I don't want to be antagonistic, but I've felt so angry lately, and half of the people from the other team keep pissing me off!"

Sylveon winced. "P-please stop shouting!"

Charizard sighed, rubbing his face. "Right, sorry. I forgot who I was talking to. So uh…. why ARE you listening to me?"

Sylveon hesitated. "I guess I've always thought that Pokemon always have a reason for the way they act. It's not always major, and it's not always deep, but um…. Haha. I'm not good at explaining."

"Keep going," Charizard said, folding his arms. "You're doing fine."

"Oh well…for example, Carbink mentioned he acted the way he did because he felt inadequate compared to some stronger competitors like you or Lucario. Scrafty can be a jerk sometimes, but have you seen how thin and shabby he is? I'm not sure about Zorua, but she didn't seem too happy about herself before she met Ampharos. Tepig has his whole thing with his parents and constant need for attention…."

"What about Umbreon?" Charizard asked.

"Oh, she's just Umbreon," Sylveon said. "In all honesty, she's probably the most secure emotionally out of anyone here. My point is that sometimes a short conversation can go a long way. I grew up with a whole bunch of talented siblings who were total drama queens. I'm used to this, at any rate."

"I see," Charizard said. They stared at each other awkwardly.

Sylveon coughed, before handing him a fruit. "So, this is Mr. Pineapple. Whenever you get angry, yell at him! He can take it!"

Charizard snorted, taking it as a joke. "That's…. really stupid."

Sylveon flinched, before slapping herself in the face. "Ugh, I knew I wasn't cut out for this. I'm sorry Charizard! Stupid, stupid, stupid-"

Charizard swore under his breath, realizing she had been serious. "I…hey, don't cry! It sounds like a great idea! I'll even draw a face on it!" 

Sylveon looked up, looking like a kicked puppy. "R-really?"

"Uh…yeah. Listen, Sylveon is there any way I can return the favor? I'm not so sure that Umbreon is the greatest influence on-"

"Hey!" Sylveon said. "You're being controlling again! Umbreon's a good friend, even if you don't like her."

"Fine, fine," Charizard said, raising his hands in surrender. "How is…how's photography going?"

Syvleon's eyes lit up. "Wanna see!?"

Charizard rubbed his arms. "I actually really didn't care, I just wanted to be polite-ah damn it, fine!"

 **0000**

" **Nice girl, but she's really inconsistent," Charizard said, looking down at the pineapple. "Dammit, I'm really going to have to lug this thing around, aren't I?"**

 **0000**

Victini was brushing his fur in preparation for the boat arriving at the dock. He had put on cologne, and even wore a neat little bow tie. Three Pokemon hopped off the boat, looking around the island in awe.

"You must be Victini," a Hitmonchan said, and they shook hands. An older looking Probopass and Alomola stood behind him.

"It's a great honor to meet a legendary Pokemon," Probopass said. "Er…. why is your eye twitching?"

"N-nothing," Victini said. "Something just…. happened yesterday, making this conversation very ironic."

"So, what do you want us to do?" Alomola asked.

Victini shrugged. "You'll have to ask Hariyama. He's hosting today."

"Greetings," the sumo said, wiping off some sweat from his previous training from Lucario. "We will have great fun, yes."

"I'd give you the tour, but I have a date today," Victini said. "And it's about time you got the challenge started, Harry."

Hariyama nodded. "Young Victini is sure he does not to watch?"

"Maybe I'll catch it when it airs on TV," Victini said. "I'll be back in time for the ceremony."

 **0000**

" **Aw man….I'm gonna be on TV!" Alomola said. "I can't wait to meet some of these guys!"**

" **OY! INTERNS NOT ALLOWED IN THERE!" Hariyama shouted from outside.**

 **Alomola shrieked.**

 **0000**

"YOUNG CAMPERS! COME TO DOCKS IMMEDIATELY!"

"Wait, AGAIN?" Zorua asked. "We just went there yesterday?"

"Eh, maybe we're traveling somewhere?" Tepig drawled from where he was lying on his back. Zorua shrugged.

"Well, whatever. You're with me on this though, right?"

"What, in eliminating Ivysuar's band? Fine by me. I got nobody else to vote for."

Zorua raised an eyebrow. "You've been very, um…nonchalant about the merge so far. What's up?"

"Found Victini's stash. Now everything is…. just so nice, y'know?" Tepig said, looking at the sky.

"Wait, YOU'RE STONED?" Zorua asked.

"Takes my mind off Minccino," Tepig said. "I miss her. The stars…. remind me of her sometimes. Wow."

Zorua groaned.

 **0000**

" **Dammit, that was so sweet I don't even want to break his arm anymore," Zorua said. "What is WRONG with me?"**

 **0000**

"Young campers are in for nice surprise," Hariyama said as the fourteen remaining contestants arrived at the dock.

"You say that a lot, but it's rarely true," Umbreon muttered. "Also, what gives? We just had a challenge yesterday."

Hariyama shrugged. "Not Hariyama's decision. We're traveling to Secret Skerry for next challenge, so hop aboard."

"Oh, this will a be a lark!" Donphan said in his cheery English accent. "The Secret Skerry is such a lovely place to visit."

"Wait, were you always a bushie?" Tepig asked. "Because I have a feeling I'd remember that."

Donphan shuddered. "Australian riffraff."

"Oy! What the fu-"

"Will you two idiots shut up and get on the damn boat?" Charizard growled. He walked past them, allowing Donphan and Tepig to exchange a look.

"Is he…holding a bloody pineapple?" Tepig asked.

 **0000**

 **Charizard groaned. "Sylveon said I had to take…M-mister Pineapple with me on challenges. Why does Arceus hate me?"**

 **0000**

 **Tepig could be seen laughing hysterically in the confessional.**

 **0000**

 **Sylveon winced. "I-I didn't think he was actually going to bring it! Who ACTUALLY listens to their psychologist?"**

 **0000**

"Any idea what the challenge is going to be?" Gallade asked Lucario, who looked up in surprise. Gallade…trying to socialize?

The campers were all aboard the cruise ship, taking the time to speak during the twenty-minute interval between the two islands.

"Er…well obviously,, it would be something that we couldn't do on Total Pokkemon island, right?" Lucario said. "I wouldn't know…I'm not a creative type."

Gallade nodded. "I've never told you this, but you're a fantastic fighter. That battle on the pie was the most fun I've had in a long time."

"Well, I have to return the compliment," Lucario said with a smile. "If I remember right, you kicked my ass in said challenge. Where DID you learn to fight anyway?"

Gallade looked down, a little embarrassed. Lucario's eyes widened at her faux pas.

"Oh…. sorry if I offended you, I didn't mean to-"

"No!" Gallade shouted. "It's just…not a fun time to remember. I'm mostly self-taught, but my…old group of friends heightened my skills."

"You know…I've been trying to qualify for Pokken Tournament," Lucario said. "Maybe you could train with Hariyama and I? You certainly are strong enough to try."

"Oh," Gallade said. "That sounds like a good idea. Grovyle told me I should spend more time getting to know everyone. She mentioned you in particular…"

Lucario punched him in the arm. "Hey, well come at me anytime. I'm a big fan of fighting, so I'll take you on whenever you feel like it."

Over near the deck, Infernape was trying to show Slowking something.

"And people DON'T find this repulsive?" Slowking asked.

"Well, they do, but that's what makes it so fun!" Infernape said as he performed the move again.

"Ironic reasons," Donphan piped up. "Which I could do it, though. I don't have hands."

"Alright, man," Infernape said. "You try it now, Slowking!"

Slowking blushed. "I uh…I'd rather not….I've been feeling off color…"

 **0000**

" **I only knew dab as a fish before today," Slowking said. "I feel like I've lost some innocence."**

 **0000**

"Whoa! Guys, what is THAT?" Ivysaur asked in total awe.

"What is what?" Sylveon asked. Ivysaur turned her head around with a vine and she gasped.

Secret Skerry looked completely different from when they had last seen it. The once untouched forest was cut through with winding roads that intersected around and through the island. A huge billboard sign that read: **HARIYAMA'S SMOKING HOT FIGURE 8 RACETRACKS!**

 **0000**

" **Haha, Grovyle would NOT be happy about that!" Infernape said with a nervous giggle.  
0000**

" **THAT IS SO FUCKING COOL!" Tepig shrieked.**

 **0000**

When they arrived, Phione waved them over. "Hey guys! What's crack-a-lackin'?"

Hariyama led the campers down to the beach, where some of the peppier campers ran over to give Phione high fives.

"Today, you guys are gonna smash some cars!" Phione said. "In a race, sort of. Think of it as like…Mario Kart. Anybody play Mario Kart?"

Munchlax raised his hand to the sky. "I did! I did!"

"Well, there are two ways to win the race!" Phione exclaimed. "See that new mountain we added?"

They glanced up at a snowy mountain, so high that it was almost beyond their sight. A road twisted up to the top, but it was far more narrow.

"You get up there? Ya win!" Phione said. "But it won't be easy! We spent a bunch of time adding traps and stuff for you to screw up in. oil slicks, caltrops, minefields-"

"MINEFIELDS?" Zorua asked.

"Yup!" Phione said, ignorant to the groans of annoyance. "Some dead ends, some quicksand…. it'll be fun! For us to watch! Not so much for you guys!"

Tepig was drooling at the sight of the track. "So…..incredible….."

"So, the alternative is just staying alive!" Phione said. "Like the crappy song from the seventies! That's why you're all allowed to attack each other. No holds barred!"

"Wait, no rules at all?" Lucario asked, her eyes wide.

"I'd love to see Parasect's expression right now," Scrafty said wistfully.

"Who's Parasect?" Phione asked. 

"He was a hard ass," Tepig said. "Nobody really liked him, and now he's gone."

"Oh," Phione said. "Well, we'd better get to the workshop to see the cars!"

 **0000**

" **I've never seen him so happy since Minccino left," Umbreon chuckled. "I didn't realize that Tepig was so into cars."**

 **0000**

"This is the junk pile!" Phione said, gesturing behind him. "You'll be using them to BUILD your cars."

"Wait…. we're building our OWN cars?" Charizard asked.

Phione nodded.

"OHHHHHHH YESSSSSS!" Tepig moaned, before he flopped down in the grass.

"D-did you just moan in pleasure?" Zorua asked. Tepig simply gave her a lazy grin as he pulled out a cigarette.

"They were very pleasurable words."

 **0000**

" **Tepig is such a weirdo," Ivysaur said. "He was in that afterglow for the rest of the day."**

 **0000**

"I'm afraid I don't know how to build a car," Slowking exclaimed. "And although this an assumption, I'd assume most of the others have any more of a clue."

He pointed to where Infernape was picking his nose. Phione rubbed the back of his head.

"Good point-which is why you guys won't be doing the actual building. You guys are gonna DESIGN the cars! We have someone here that'll help out with the mechanics."

"Wait, but who could possibly-"

"GUESS WHO, BITCHES?" came a voice that was followed by raucous cackles.

Slowking's eyes widened. "I know that voice!"

Sableye waltzed into the room, giving a short bow. "Hey guys! What's crack-a-"

"I already said that," Phione said.

"Aww….we were supposed to do that together!" Sableye whined.

Phione sighed. "I tried to call you sooner. But you reply with, and I quote: "I need to find the end of the rainbow because I might find an extra kidney".

"Oh yeah, that was something I had to ask. Do any of you guys by any chance want to…give me…a…"

He faltered. The campers were all eyeing him with mixed impressions. Sableye had never been a bad guy, and when he was friendly when he was your friend, but he had always been…. chaotic. Charizard and Lucario were both glaring at him, and smoke was unfurling from Tepig's nose.

"Hello Sableye," Tepig said, trying to keep his tone neutral. Sableye gulped. He had inadvertently gotten Minccino eliminated.

"H-hi Tepig, how's it hanging?" Sableye said, trying for a smile.

Tepig stomped over. "I know something that's going to be hanging in a minute."

Sableye flinched. "Aww come on man, I don't need this! Minccino already beat the crap out of me already! I'm sorry!"

"How'd she manage that?" Tepig asked. "Normal types don't do well against ghosts."

"She used foresight," Sableye elaborated. "Heh….it's funny because she's a lawyer. Ha….haha…"

Tepig chuckled. "That actually is pretty funny. Heh. Ahahaha."

Sableye let out a few chuckles of relief. "Hehe….yeah…."

Tepig tackled Sableye to the ground with a roar. "I'MMA FOOKIN' KILL HIM!"

 **0000**

 **Umbreon tried to stifle a laugh, but failed as she snickered loudly.**

 **0000**

" **I'm honestly surprised we haven't gotten him eliminated yet," Munchlax admitted. "Then again, I'm not really one to talk. How am I still here, exactly?"**

 **0000**

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?" Phione asked. "Because you're saying you are, but you also kind of look like a rabid monster so I can't tell."

Tepig tried to wrench out of Hariyama's grip, a look of pure rage in his eyes. "Yeah, Phione, I'm just lovely. Not sure what you're talking about."

"Dude, you're foaming at the mouth."

"THESE ARE FRIENDLY FOAMS!"

"Tepig aside," Hariyama coughed. "Each of you will design vehicles that Sableye will build. Anything goes, so I'd suggest young campers stock up on vehicles or honor. It will be rough."

He pointed over to several plain looking cars. "These will be templates. Most are cars, but there are two motorcycles as well. Anyone can grab, but campers who won immunity last time get priority."

Infernape immediately raised his hand. "OOH! I WANT A CHOPPER! GIMME!" shrugged; he had another plan for how his car would turn out. Slowking merely yawned.

Umbreon shrugged. "Sure, I'm game."

"Then our two cyclists are Infernape and Umbreon!" Phione said. "Haha, it's funny because Infernape beat Umbreon in the awake-a-thon challenge!"

Umbreon groaned. "Why the hell did you have to remind me of that?"

 **0000**

" **Wow," Ivysaur said. "I feel like those early challenges happened so long ago. We've come a long way, huh."**

 **0000**

Everyone was a bit unsure of how to start, but soon they went to work, humming as they designed their cars. Slowking was crafting his own blueprint carefully, and Shuckle never left the garage he was assigned to. Sableye ran back and forth to write down their ideas and give them pointers.

"Any ideas?" Umbreon asked, as she spray painted her motorcycle a midnight blue. Sylveon groaned, tossing away another piece of paper.

"No!" She said. "I have no idea what I'm doing!"

"Well I don't know how I'D help you," Umbreon said. "Just apply your skills. What are you good at?"

Sylveon shrugged. "I…. umm….photography? Wrapping presents?"

"Then do something that involves that, I don't care. Now go away, I'm not giving away my secrets."

Sylveon walked off, deep in thought. "Hmm…."

0000

"There are a LOT of weapons in here," Ivysaur remarked as he pulled out a cannon from the pile.

Donphan was ripping off an anchor with his trunk. "Yes…this pile is divine for inspiration…"

"So, any idea what you're doing?" Ivysaur asked.

"No, but I need a theme," Donphan explained. "Hmm….I need to brainstorm!"

He ran off, leaving Ivysaur alone. Ivysaur finally succeeded in pulling out the cannon. "All right! I got it! Now I just have to….uh-oh."

The entire pile shook, threatening to fall on the grass type.

0000

"Whoa, Gallade, this car is dirty!" Sableye exclaimed. Gallade chuckled as he sharpened his scythes.

"It's the merge, I'm allowed to be cutthroat," Gallade admitted. "And besides, you're hardly one to talk." 

Sableye grinned. "Never said I wasn't the same. This is gonna carve the other cars up!"

"That's the plan," Gallade muttered. "Just make sure to put on the weapons I want."

 **0000**

 **Sableye's eyes were wide. "Jeez, these guys are messed up. This challenge is gonna be fun to watch!"**

 **0000**

The campers spent the next three hours working on their cars, losing track of time as the sun began to sink in the east. Still, everyone managed to finish by the deadline, satisfied with their vehicles.

Phione walked beside Hariyama, holding a clipboard. "Aww man this is gonna be sweet! I can't wait to see what everyone came up with!"

The campers had driven their cars over and began to examine each other's vehicles. Phione and Hariyama arrived at Infernape's motorcycle first.

Very little had changed from a technical standpoint, except that it seemed to be much lighter and faster. Infernape had given it a new paint job, and now it was jet black with flames emblazoned on it. It looked cool as hell, but-

"No weapons?" Phione asked. "It looks kinda plain. Plus, it doesn't look like it would be very good off road."

"Haha! Doesn't matter!" Infernape said. "I put everything into speed, baby! It can go three hundo easily!'

"Well, we'll give you that," Hariyama admitted, looking over the sleek motorcycle. "No defenses though. Perhaps better planning could have gone into this."

"Yeah, but I'm no Alakazam!" Infernape said cheerfully. "I call her the Red-Hot Chili Pepper!"

"RHCP! Nice!" Phione said.

Hariyama frowned and leaned in to Phione's ear. "Hariyama thought that we agreed no names."

Phione giggled. "I lied. Not bad, Infernape! Let's see who's next!"

The next one over was Sylveon, who already had Umbreon looking hers over. The car was a hot pink convertible, covered in glitter. A small cannon was locked and loaded on the hood of her car.

"Not too much armor on here either," Phione remarked. "More than Infernape at the very least, though. Plus, it looks like it'd be better for a joyride then a demolition derby."

"I wanted to focus more on speed!" Sylveon said. "Besides, it's not completely defenseless! Look, try touching it!"

Phione tapped the car, but a light barrier shimmered in front of it and prevented him from getting close. "Whoa, light screen!"

"Yep!" Sylveon said. "That's why I wanted a convertible! This way I can focus on the defenses without having to worry about speed!"

"Clever," Hariyama admitted. "Though it won't fare well in a fight."

Sylveon winked. "I have a couple other surprises too! Don't count Fairy Dust and I out just yet!"

Umbreon gagged.

 **0000**

" **Look, she did a good job on it," Umbreon admitted. "But eww….that design. Way too much color." She managed a small smile. "Still, it's nice to actually see her be confident about something for once."**

 **0000**

"What about you, Umbreon?" Phione asked. Umbreon nodded over to her own midnight blue motorcycle. It had far more armor than Infernape's toy, but while it clearly wasn't as fast as Infernape's, it was nowhere near sluggish.

"Cool ride, Umbreon!" Phione said. "Still no weapons though, huh. Not so great off road, either."

Umbreon gave an evil grin. "Midnight Run is full of tricks. Don't want to spoil the surprise."

"Ominous," Hariyama grunted. "Hariyama is partial to paint job as well."

Phione and Hariyama walked over to Charizard, who gestured to a police car, though in truth it resembled something akin to a riot control vehicle with its increased defenses and caged windows. Water cannons were locked and loaded in the back, while the hood was decorated with several repeating rifles. The name "Police Brutality" was written on the door.

"Vicious," Hariyama admitted. "It won't be easy to bring down."

"What are the two slots on the sides?" Phione piped up.

Charizard grinned. "Surprise."

Some of the more bored campers came over for a look.

Zorua gave Charizard a curious glance. "The hell's the pineapple for?"

"Mister Pineapple," Charizard corrected, a prominent blush on his face. Mr. Pineapple was strapped in the passenger's seat.

"What have you got to show, Zorua?" Phione asked. Zorua pointed to a small dark car with no defenses or weapons whatsoever.

"This is…. rather disappointing," Hariyama admitted. "Expected more."

Zorua rolled her eyes. "Calm your tits, sumo. Watch this."

She tapped her car, and it turned invisible. "Cloak and Dagger, everyone!"

"IT HAS A CLOAKING DEVICE?" Phione squealed. "THAT'S AWESOME!"

Zorua pulled a lever, and a drill burst out of thin air, spinning rapidly.

"That's the only weapon I'll need. Since I imbued it with the foul play move, it'll take down any car with one strike. Sableye's been educating me on vehicle pressure points. I could go for the tires…or maybe the engine…"

"Jeez, and you'll be really fast too," Phione said in awe. "Better hope you don't take a hit, though. It looks like it has paper thin defenses."

"Sacrifice I'm willing to make," Zorua said with a shrug.

 **0000**

" **It'll take down any car with one strike except Shuckle's apparently," Zorua said. "That thing won't be easy to break."**

 **0000**

"Whoa!" Phione said. He was staring at Shuckle's vehicle, which was a literal tank. Other then it's color scheme, which was based on the colors of Shuckle's shell, it was…. just a literal tank!

Shuckle peered over the top. "Oh, hi guys! This is Sherman! I went to town on defenses."

"No kidding," Hariyama said, his eyes wide as he knocked on the tank. "Stronger then titanium…"

"Well, you don't look like you'll be going too fast," Phione said. "Like at ALL. Still, killer ride, dude! Does the tank actually shoot?"

Shuckle winked and dropped back down into the tank. The turret slowly turned, firing a shot from the cannon that turned a far-off tree into rubble.

"HARD CORE!" Phione cheered.

 **0000**

 **Shuckle looked uncomfortable. "I know a tank seems awesome and all, but the problem with it is I have no speed, not to mention that I have no chance of making it to the top of that mountain. My plan is to block it off like a sleepy Snorlax and just camp there until everyone dies. I have a backup plan, but still…"**

 **0000**

"Donphan?" Hariyama asked. "What the hell are we looking at?"

Donphan's car wasn't a car at all, but a chariot pulled by two mechanical horses. Donphan was dressed to resemble Julius Caeser. While the horses looked intimidating, it looked as though the chariot made Donphan vulnerable, and there were no weapons in sight.

" _Carpe Diem_ WILL seize the day!" Donphan said. "My horses, Brutus and Cassius are very formidable beasts indeed."

"Yes, but young actor has no weapons and defenses," Hariyama argued.

Donphan brandished his sword. "The only defense this chariot needs are its rider!"

 **0000**

" **How the hell is he even allowed to have that in the competition?" Scrafty asked, mystified.**

 **0000**

The next car belonged to Gallade, who folded his arms and watched them look it over. His car was longer then many of the others, with camouflage paint. Its defenses looked average, but it's most notable trait was the scythe attached to the front.

"Wicked!" Phione said. "Looks a bit hard to maneuver, though."

Gallade shook his head and concentrated with his mind. Glowing with psychic powers, the scythe spun and twirled in complex and flexible movements.

"Not bad," Hariyama admitted.

"That's not all!" Sableye announced. "Look at the sides."

Phione gasped. Sharp blades protruded out of them, looking like they could carve up a car that was unfortunate enough to cross its path.

"Dang, I would not want to get in close against that thing!" Phione said.

"Hariyama agrees," the sumo said, folding his arms. "Easily the strongest melee weapon so far."

Gallade nodded. "The longer you're near me the more damage your car takes. I will not be trifled with."

"So, what's the name?" Phione asked.

Gallade blanched. "Name?"

"Yeah, dude, think of a name! It's the best part!" Phione exclaimed.

"It really isn't," Hariyama muttered.

"Er…..V-Vengeance?" Gallade said, saying the first thing that popped in his head.

Phione grinned. "Not bad! I look forward to seeing it in action!"

Hariyama had gone ahead to spare himself from listening to Gallade failing at coming up with a good name. He came upon Munchlax and did a double take.

"And I thought Donphan's was weird," he remarked, staring at Munchlax's-could he even call it car?

Munchlax's VEHICLE resembled a cherry on wheels, though little cannons popped out here and there. Munchlax gave Hariyama a thumbs' up. "I'm going for unpredictability, man! Cherry Bomb has some real tricks up her sleeve."

"Such as?" Hariyama asked.

Munchlax pressed a button and held up a cup. A pink liquid poured in, and Munchlax held out a cup. "Cherry smoothie?"

Hariyama took it. "Well played."

 **0000**

 **Tepig chortled. "I can't wait to terrorize that thing. I have SO many jokes I want to use."**

 **0000**

After Phione caught up, he and Hariyama found Lucario, who was still messing around with the final touches. Her blue car resembled a formula three racing car that looked balanced. On the hood was a harpoon, with little openings for missiles on the sides. The back was bulkier and seemed better suited for defense.

"Hmm….jack of all trades, eh?" Hariyama said.

Lucario shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of weaknesses. Uh….I suppose I'll name it….uh…."

Phione's eyes lit up. "How about 'Phione is really sexy!'"

Lucario froze. "Wait. No- "

"Phione is really sexy," Hariyama said, writing it down. "Confirmed."

Lucario slapped herself in the face. "I really hate this show."

"Ivysaur…. wait, this is LITERALLY the batmobile!" Phione said, looking at Ivysaur's car.

Ivysaur blushed. "I um….my dad did a Crobatman movie and I remembered the design? We won't get lawsuits, right?"

Hariyama and Phione glanced at each other. "Um…. we won't tell Victini if you won't!"

Hariyama nodded at the vehicle. "Car still looks good. Speed, weapons, armor…. looking forward to see it in action."

Donphan nudged Ivysaur. "You have to do it, man."

Ivysaur glared at him. "I said no."

"You'll ruin it if you don't."

"I'll ruin it if I DO!"

 **0000**

 **Ivysaur groaned, now dressed up like Crobatman. "I can't believe I got talked into this."**

 **0000**

Tepig's vehicle resembled a Jeep, meaning it would do well off road. He had given it decent defenses, with twin tusks coming out from the front. On the hood was a long ranged looking cannon complete with a (pointless?) scope.

"Her name is Irene!" Tepig said with a smirk.

"Another well balanced vehicle," Phione remarked. "Good in close AND long range. Might not be very fast though."

Tepig shrugged. "That's what the bloody cannon is for, dumbass."

Phione nodded. "Fair enough! What about you, Scrafty?"

Scrafty was sitting next to an orange Kei truck. The cab itself had heavily reinforced defenses, but while the cargo area behind it had little to none, it was filled with boxes of cargo, Labeled: EXPLOSIVES!

"Whoa man….that thing looks dangerous," Phione said, a little afraid to touch it.

"It is," Scrafty said. "Go after Passive Aggression if you will, but it's your funeral if it detonates on you. Worse comes to worse? My car is bulky enough to survive the explosion."

Hariyama exchanged a glance with Phione. "This will make with the pissing off just by being on the road."

"Yeah, but you lack turning and speed," Phione said. "Better be careful!"

"Oh, I will be," Scrafty said with a chuckle.

Phione looked over the list. "Okay…. I think the last one is Slowking. What have you got?"

Slowking pulled over in an all-terrain vehicle…. that looked exactly like a Venomoth. Its wheels were perfect for any terrain, and the wings looked like they could be hiding some trick, but other than that it looked rather silly.

"Young campers have odd taste," Hariyama muttered. "Though Hariyama would be foolish to underestimate Slowking."

Slowking gave a mysterious smile. "This is the All-terrain Venomoth, and my only hint is that is literally ALL terrain. I'll have complete control over the arena."

Phione and Hariyama eyed the odd vehicle. Perhaps Slowking was right, but his speed and defensive capabilities looked subpar. If it had been any other Pokemon they'd have laughed at him…

"Well, that's all!" Phione said. "We're starting in a few minutes, so be prepared. LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLE!"

 **0000**

" **Intense challenge," Gallade noted. "I'm surprised nobody was hurt very badly."**

 **0000**

" **Not gonna lie, this was fun," Munchlax admitted. "Way better then boring ass ghost stories."**

0000

Phione, Hariyama and Sableye were all sitting at the top box, each with a microphone. Phione was practically hyperventilating with excitement.

"I'm Phione and these are my boys Hariyama and Sableye!" Phione said. "We'll be doing commentary! Let's UNLEASH SOME CHAOS!"

"So, your mother could not come?" Hariyama asked.

"Nah, she's on a date!" Phione said. "I don't think this is her thing anyway."

"Victini's on a date as well," Hariyama said. "Wait….no way…."

0000

"Wow, you sure know how to pick 'em!" Manaphy said, relaxing in the hot springs. "Are you sure you're okay with the water?"

Victini shrugged. "If it's hot. Dinner was great, Manaphy."

"I haven't been asked out in a while," Manaphy said. "Nice feeling."

"Well, that's probably because people think you're-"Victini started before stopping, his eyes wide.

"People think I'm what?" Manaphy said, her eyes narrowed. Victini gulped.

"N-not anything major, just that you're….well….easy?" Victini said.

Manaphy groaned. "Damn it, this is about the Ditto thing, isn't it?"

Victni sighed. "Yeah….."

Manaphy rolled her eyes. "Well, it can't be helped I guess. Wait….YOU don't think I'm a-"

"OF COURSE, NOT! WANNA SEE A MOVIE?" Victini said loudly. Manaphy glared at him.

 **0000**

 **Hariyama folded his arms. "Victini has never been good with ladies."**

 **0000**

The campers were in there starting positions, from smallest to largest. Zorua was at the very front, and she kept glancing behind her nervously. Shuckle's tank was at the very back, right behind Scrafty's pickup.

"Alright guys, bets?" Phione asked.

Hariyama looked thoughtful. "Depending on Zorua's driving skills, she can win long as she stays invisible. Charizard and Tepig's cars intimidating as well."

"Scrafty's Passive Aggression is already making me nervous," Phione said. "Vengeance looks malicious, and I can't wait to see what Umbreon has up her sleeve."

Sableye grinned. "I want in on this! I think the winner will be-"

"Sableye does not get vote," Hariyama growled. "Do not forget you were making with designing cars! No cheating!"

Sableye sighed as Phione leaned into his microphone. "Ready guys?"

Charizard cracked his knuckles, making sure to check if Mr. Pineapple was secure. Sylveon and Tepig both revved their engines in tune. Infernape was grinning around at everybody's cars. 

"ON YOUR MARK!" Phione shouted. "GET SET!"

Scrafty winked at Munchlax, who gave a steady nod.

"GO!"

The cars shot off on the wide road, Infernape easily overtaking them. Zorua was second, but she pressed a button and her car turned invisible. Sylveon, Gallade, and Umbreon quickly took her place, followed by Lucario and surprisingly Donphan, whose horses whinnied as their hooves thundered against the ground. Ivysaur's batmobile was a bit ahead of a lagging Tepig, Scrafty, Munchlax, and Charizard. Sherman the tank crawled behind them, easily the slowest vehicle there.

"It seems like Infernape wasn't bluffing! The Red Hot Chili Pepper is outstripping everyone!" Phione announced.

"Ah, but now complications occur…." Hariyama said with a smirk.

Charizard punched a button, and the repeating rifles on his car opened fire. Tepig swore as he swerved to the side, not hesitating to drive off road. He fired bullets as well, careful not to hit Scrafty's cab. The hoodlum snickered as his cab easily took the shots, but gulped when one managed to break through a window. Scrafty sped up, slamming into Lucario from behind.

Lucario snarled and spun around, slamming a button to release her missiles. Gallade took the opportunity to drive forward, passing both and spinning around.

"Oh crap!" Phione exclaimed. "Gallade's taking the offensive!"

Meanwhile, Infernape sped ahead, risking a glance behind him. He had a crazy grin on his face. Nobody had a chance of catching him! Immunity was his for the taking!

Beep!

Infernape blinked. "What was that?"

The ground hummed beneath the RHCP, before it exploded. Infernape screamed as he flew, followed by his ruined motorcycle.

"There it is," Hariyama said. "Infernape found the landmines."

"And in a CRAZY explosion, Infernape and the Red-Hot Chili Pepper have been eliminated!" Phione announced. "Gone, but not forgotten dude."

Sableye gave a crazy grin. "Still! Wicked wipeout!"

"Er….is he okay?" Phione asked.

Infernape gave a thumb's up over by the wreckage of his motorcycle.

 **0000**

" **Hahahaha!" Infernape laughed, his eyes unfocused. "Nice fireworks, Victini! Hahahaa-owwww!"**

 **He fell over.**

 **0000**

Sylveon, Donphan, and Umbreon froze upon reaching the minefield, unsure of what to do. Charizard, however, grinned.

Pressing a button, two large wings opened from the sides, flapping him up into the air and carrying him over the minefield.

Sylveon gaped. "It can fly?"

Slowking, Tepig, and Donphan drove off road, (or galloped in Donphan's case), their vehicles perfect for rough terrain.

The others glanced at each other in silent agreement to hold a truce until they found a path through the mines. Surprisingly it was Munchlax in his Cherry Bomb that drove forward.

Munchlax leaned out of his car, tossing out cherries that were far larger than normal. Wherever one hit, the ground exploded around it, thus giving Munchlax a path through the minefield.

Unfortunately, the others drove forward to follow him now that they could see a way through the minefield, Ivysaur already beginning to open fire on the Cherry Bomb. Munchlax however, grinned and tossed some cherries behind him, where they detonated on impact.

Umbreon managed to swerve around them, but the Fairy Dust was grazed, Sylveon shrieking as she was sent spinning off course. Lucario shot more missiles to take out some of the explosives in midair, and poor Ivysaur's wide Batmobile took the brunt of the explosion, though fortunately the armor allowed him to survive it.

Ivysaur slowed down, allowing Scrafty to pass him, before checking the damage. His machine guns and lasers were still operational, but his missiles were damaged beyond repair and his armor had several big dents. He couldn't take many hits like that.

 **0000**

" **In all honesty, I probably should have picked something that suited me better," Ivysaur said, still in his Crobatman costume. "I didn't know what half the dang buttons did, and I was too afraid to try anything."**

 **0000**

"Looks like the Batmobile isn't doing too well," Phione remarked.

"No, but- Oooh look at that!" Sableye exclaimed.

Lucario rammed her car into Sylveon, who had just managed to get back on the road. The two cars slammed against each other with a horrible sound.

"Wow, looks like the 'Phione is Really Sexy' is taking advantage of the 'Fairy Dust's' lack of weapons!" Phione exclaimed.

"Please stop calling it that," Hariyama moaned.

Sylveon gulped as Lucario's harpoon impaled itself into her car, doing a lot of damage. She groaned. She didn't want to have to use her secret weapons this early on.

Sylveon pressed a button that unleashed a cloud of glitter around her car, swarming around Lucario. The jackal coughed as she accidentally breathed some of it in. As she tried to beat it off, Sylveon tapped another button. Two long feelers jutted out of her car, (resembling a larger version of Sylveon's own feelers) and wrapped themselves around the Phione is Really Sexy. With some effort, they threw Lucario's car away.

Sylveon, seeing an opportunity, floored the pedal and shot away. Lucario groaned as she gained control back over her vehicle.

Unfortunately, Sylveon had thrown her into a landmine. Lucario swore as the explosion blasted her off-road.

 **0000**

 **Lucario spat out some glitter. "See? This is why I don't do any of that girly shit."**

 **0000**

Lucario gritted her teeth as she examined the damage. She had lost her harpoon to Sylveon, and the explosion had wiped out some of her missiles. She checked the wheels and winced. That wasn't good.

Before she could call for repairs another explosion rocked her car, totaling it. Lucario managed to dive out of the way in the last second, but her model three was ruined.

Shuckle peeked out from his tank. "Sorry! I just couldn't help myself!"

"Lucario and the Phione is Really Sexy are the second to be eliminated!" Phione shouted. "Thanks to Shuckle's firepower and some crafty moves from Sylveon!"

Shuckle giggled a little at his minor victory, but it quickly changed to a groan when he arrived at the minefield. Fortunately, a narrow path had been cleared by the many cars that had driven through there, but Sherman's massive size wasn't going to do him any favors.

Shuckle took a deep breath as he drove his tank forward, praying to Arceus that he wouldn't trigger too many explosions.

 **0000**

 **Zorua folded her arms. "I spent way too much time trying to destroy Shuckle's tank. Probably the only damn thing I couldn't penetrate. I doubt he even noticed me."**

 **0000**

Charizard kept his eye on the road, but managed a toothy grin when he heard that Lucario had been eliminated. Still…. Shuckle and Sylveon were far from frontrunners in challenges, so he didn't know too much about their abilities. He'd have to be careful if he wanted to bring them down.

He glanced off road. Donphan was ahead, shouting orders to his mechanical horses in Latin, but Slowking was pulling up next to Charizard in his ATV. Charizard bared his teeth. Slowking, as always, was a massive threat and he'd be well suited to bring the genius down.

His repeating rifles swiveled and began firing on the poor psychic type. Slowking merely raised an eyebrow and threw up a barrier that blocked the shots with ease.

Munchlax and Umbreon tried to use Charizard's distraction to their advantage and sped up, but Charizard unleashed the water cannons on the back of his vehicle, forcing them to veer off.

Slowking glared at Charizard but made no effort to act offensively. Charizard growled back, but a lightbulb went off in his head. Venomoth were bug types, right…?

Charizard kicked his door open, shooting a powerful flamethrower. Slowking immediately shot a hydro pump in response, overtaking the flamethrower in their power struggle and blasting the door off the car.

Charizard gnashed his teeth as Slowking pulled ahead. A split second later, Tepig slammed into him and reached into his now wide open door.

"Yoink!" He said with a wicked grin as he snatched Mr. Pineapple off his seat and sped off. Charizard let out a roar of rage.

Tepig glanced out his window. "Oh, come on mate, you don't need it! You're already fruity enough!"

 **0000**

 **Charizard looked embarrassed. "I can't believe I actually became attached to the stupid thing."**

 **0000**

" **Heh, I think Charizard learned overheat today," Munchlax said with a snicker.**

 **0000**

Tepig looked at his newly claimed prize. "Now what to do with you…hmmm…."

His eyes lit up. "Oh! I'll just put ya on some a slice of pizza! That'll be b-"

A cannon shot exploded next to Tepig's car, missing him by inches.

Shuckle growled from atop his tank. "TRIGGERED!"

"We're seeing some cars getting ripped up!" Sableye said. "It's so nice to see my babies destroying each other!"

"….Not dignifying that," Hariyama muttered. "Ivysaur is in bad position…."

"Don't forget, Sylveon didn't exactly escape Lucario unscathed!" Phione piped up. "Munchlax has taken a few hits, but Shuckle's hit like four mines and they're barely leaving a dent!"

Ivysaur groaned at that. Shuckle's tank was a HUGE threat in this challenge. Leave it to the mold Pokemon to think outside the box.

The Batmobile had taken heavy damage, but Ivysaur reckoned he still had a decent chance against Sherman with his machine guns and lasers, even if he barely knew what to press.

Making up his mind, he turned 360 degrees to chase down Shuckle. As he drove forward however, his complicated controls began flashing red with a warning label.

"What? I'm under attack!?" Ivysaur, frantically checking all around his vehicle. Nobody was there! So how could-

His engine exploded, and the Batmobile broke down. Ivysaur slammed down on a random button in frustration, ironically the ejection button. Ivysaur flew in the air, and began to plummet until the parachute opened from his seat.

Zorua became visible for a moment as she backed away from Ivysaur's ruined engine, her powerful drill still spinning.

"Damn!" Sableye squealed. "Another one bites the dust!"

"That cloaking device is overpowered," Lucario remarked as she held onto a still dizzy Infernape. "Honestly I would have expected Ivysaur's car to be one of the hardest to beat."

"Zorua cannot get hit even once," Hariyama countered. "It'll take careful skill for her to win this."

Scrafty grinned as he drove the Passive Aggression without fear. Everyone was far too afraid to go for him in fear that they'd accidentally hit his explosives. Gallade HAD aimed a few slices, but his powerful cab's defenses could survive the blows with only a few gashes. Still, old one-eye and Shuckle were his greatest threats in this challenge.

His eyes widened. He was at the mountain pass! It was somewhat hidden from view, so the others likely passed by it in their haste. He grinned. Their loss!

He began to drive towards it, but a cannonball exploded off to the sky. Scrafty watched in horror as Shuckle crawled forward, already preparing to fire another shot.

Swearing profusely, Scrafty shot away down the road. He'd get him next time, but he couldn't risk Shuckle hitting his explosives.

Shuckle drove in front of the path, his eyes narrowed. "And now we wait."

 **0000**

" **Little shit stayed there the whole game," Charizard growled.**

 **0000**

Donphan held the reins with his trunk, watching his majestic steeds ride with great pride. Still, he frowned as Slowking cut across rough terrain. He knew the psychic would be a great threat this challenge, even if his car didn't look intimidating.

Slowking glanced behind him and winced. Donphan was chasing him down, his eyes blazing. Slowking groaned. He didn't have the speed or offensive capabilities to fight him off. Still, he had an idea.

Slowking cut to right, heading into rougher terrain. Donphan took the bait and followed, his mechanical horses whinnying and snorting.

Slowking drove over towards a lake as Donphan followed, slowly gaining on the All-Terrain Venomoth. Donphan grinned. He had him trapped.

Slowking arrived at the lake, driving into it without a thought. Donphan gaped as Slowking drove through the water to evade him.

 **0000**

 **Slowking chuckled. "Water counts as a terrain, right?"**

 **0000**

Before Slowking could congratulate himself on his victory, Donphan barked an order to one of his horses. Slowking, missing it, whirled around. He gasped as one of the horses shot a beam across the water, creating a path with ease.

Slowking drove as fast as he could, but Donphan stampeded over the icy path in no time at all, overtaking Slowking with ease.

"Cassius! Breath of flame!" Slowking barked. The horse spit fire over the Venomoth, combusting it. Slowking tried to douse it, but an icy blast from Brutus froze him where he stood.

"D-damn…. nice makeshift freeze dry….." Slowking muttered, before he fell unconscious. Donphan trampled the All-Terrain Venomoth under his feet, before letting out a whoop of joy.

"Dang!" Phione said. "Donphan just took out Slowking!"

"His car is far better than originally thought, yes?" Hariyama said. "Has good chance of winning entire thing."

"Good job, Donphan!" Ivysaur cheered. "Go get 'em!"

"Why are you still in your Crobatman costume?" Lucario asked.

Ivysaur blushed.

0000

Sylveon gritted her teeth as she swerved her convertible to avoid the many exploding cherries that Munchlax threw behind him. Her barriers held, protecting her car from some of the damage, but the damage was beginning to show. Unfortunately, Munchlax was smart enough to keep some distance on the Fairy Dust, which worked far better in melee situations. Sylveon shot her cannon, but the Cherry Bomb was fast enough to dodge around them.

Ironically, it was Shuckle that saved her. Since Munchlax was facing Sylveon, he hadn't noticed that they had arrived at the mountain pass. Sylveon did, and her eyes widened as the turret aimed at them from behind.

"Munchlax, look out!" She shrieked.

Munchlax rolled his eyes. "C'mon, I'm not THAT stupid. Give some respect, will ya-OSHIT!"

BOOM!

The explosion sent the cherry bomb flying, but Munchlax's odd design choice suddenly made sense. The car bounced when it hit, causing the car to land upright. Meanwhile, Sylveon swerved to avoid another cannon shot.

Charizard was opening fire on the tank with no avail, Sherman's defenses far too great for the dragon to crack. Umbreon rode around them in circles, popping a wheelie to avoid a cannon shot.

Sylveon gulped and tried to drive by, but the Vengeance rammed into her, sending them both sliding. Gallade had a cold light in his eye as the scythe rose, ready to cleave the Fairy Dust in two.

Sylveon slammed her paw on her button, releasing her feelers, which wrapped around Gallade's scythe and threw it to the side. Gallade lost balance, allowing Sylveon to floor the pedal. She slammed into the Police Brutality, which unfortunately did more to her then it did to her enemy.

Charizard snarled and blasted her with his water cannons. She slid back, watching in horror as Charizard and Gallade stood ready to finish her off on both sides…

She had one trick left.

She pressed a button, and a flash akin to one of a camera blinded Gallade and Charizard, who both vtirf out in pain and rubbed their eyes. Sylveon used her opportunity to drive away, managing to avoid more shots from Shuckle along the way.

"And Sylveon distracts her opponents by flashing them!" Phione said.

"Er….would Phione like to rephrase?" Hariyama asked.

"Nah. Ooh, but here comes trouble!" Phione shouted as Irene cut through some rough terrain to cut her off.

Sylveon, her eyes still wide, checked the damage of her car. Her cannon had been obliterated when she made contact with Charizard, and she was out of glitter. Her camera shutter move needed time to charge up again, but she still had her feelers.

"I'm okay," she whispered. "I'll do some repairs while Shuckle distracts them. As long as I don't run into-"  
A long range cannon shot smashed into the hood of her car, destroying it almost completely. Sylveon gasped and tried to drive away, but her engine had been damaged!

A split second later, twin tusks ripped into the metallic flesh of the Fairy Dust, toppling it over. Tepig smirked from where he was sitting. 

"Good luck next time, Sheila."

The stands let out a collective groan. Phione sighed. "She did well, but the Fairy Dust just wasn't bulky enough to survive multiple opponents at once."

"Tepig's car is very dangerous," Lucario muttered. "His car is good with terrain, and if he catches you off guard you're finished."

"Good thing Tepig doesn't know anything about subtlety," Slowking said. "I don't think he'll be winning today."

Tepig grinned over at Mr. Pineapple. "Nice idea, mate! I have to admit I was skeptical at first."

Charizard, seeing the display, poured on the speed for the Police Brutality. "GIVE ME BACK MY GODDAMNED PINAPPLE!"

"Come and get it, dragon ditz!" Tepig barked, driving off road. "Woop woop woop!"

Charizard gritted his teeth. His car wasn't built for off road. He was debating whether to follow when he noticed Gallade and Umbreon pursuing him in his rear-view mirror. Charizard gnashed his teeth. They were teaming up on him?

He unleashed water cannons, but they were savvy enough to avoid them. Umbreon fell back a bit, allowing Gallade to approach with a wicked gleam in his eye. Charizard gulped; he knew how deadly Gallade's car was in close range. He pressed the button that opened his wings….

But he was too slow.

Gallade slammed into his car, the blades on the sides ripping into the tough metal. Before the wings could take to the sky, Gallade's scythe swung in an arc, ripping off a wing and one of the water cannons. It proceeded to hack and slash at the car, before Charizard blasted him back with his remaining cannon.

The Vengeance slid back…..but Umbreon flipped over his head, pursuing Charizard. Phione and the eliminated campers watched with interest.

"You know, Umbreon's made it pretty far, but she hasn't done much," Ivysaur noted. "What do you think she'll do?"

Sylveon grinned. "You'll see!"

Umbreon pressed a button, and a cable attached both cars. Charizard blasted water, but Umbreon easily could avoid it. She made a jump as Charizard did his best to escape her.

In midair, she pressed another switch. Spikes burst out of her wheels, and spun rapidly as she landed on the Police Brutality.

"WHOA!" Phione said. "That is so cool!"

The spikes shredded into the Police Brutality, destroying it piece by piece. Charizard tried to aim, but he had nothing that could reach her. He submitted to his fate as Umbreon finally finished destroying his engine, flipping and driving off.

"Charizard and the Police Brutality are done for!" Phione announced.

 **0000**

" **You know, Umbreon's actually a decent threat," Slowking noted. "She stays in the background, but she knows what she's doing."**

 **0000**

The remaining cars were spread out, now focusing on surviving instead of racing. Shuckle remained camped out in front of the mountain pass, with Munchlax carefully trying to sneak by him. Zorua was tailing Donphan, Gallade chased Umbreon, and Scrafty drifted alone without worrying about being caught. Tepig kept trying to take him out from afar, but Scrafty was careful enough to stay out of his range.

"Been a few minutes and not much is happening," Phione admitted. "Good time to place bets?"

"Tepig, Gallade, Donphan and Zorua seem to be primary threats," Hariyama admitted.

"Donphan's got this!" Ivysaur cheered.  
Lucario glanced down. "You may be right. Looks like he just noticed Zorua!"

Zorua phased in and out of sight to avoid the blasts of fire and ice unleashed from Donphan's horses. She had been found out by the clever actor, but if she was clever enough she could find a way to make him lose. She drove ahead, hoping he'd take the bait.

He did, snapping the reins and urging his horses further. The Cloak and Dagger's incredible speed managed to keep her out of range, though she occasionally had to avoid blasts of fire and ice. She just needed an opportunity…

There! Gallade was driving up, still searching for Umbreon. Best case scenario, Zorua could take them both out.

She turned invisible just as Gallade looked up. The blade Pokemon snarled at Donphan, and they drove their cards towards each other.

"Cassius! Brutus! Attack!" Donphan trumpeted, still brandishing his sword. Fire and ice swirled towards Gallade, who managed to avoid the majority (though a bit of ice struck his car.) Gallade slammed into the Carpe Diem, his side blades ripping through the chariot's weak material. The impact nearly threw Donphan over, but he managed to grab his reins with his trunk and pull himself back on.

The horses unleashed fire and ice, causing damage to the Vengeance, but the scythe came down a split second later, slashing the rope that held one of the horses. The metallic horse whinnied and ran off in the other direction.

"Et tu, Brute?" Donphan whispered as the scythe swung down again, ripping through the chariot like butter. Gallade grinned meanly, but Donphan merely raised his sword.

"Keep running forward, Cassius!" Donphan barked to his horse, before swinging down his sword, cleaving the scythe in half.

Cassius sprinted forward, dragging Vengeance and the damaged chariot with him. Gallade stumbled from the sudden burst in speed, but he launched forward several strikes with his blades. Donphan managed to parry them with ease.

Gallade's eye widened as Donphan swung his sword in his hand like a master duelist. "En guarde!"

 **0000**

" **Donphan IS insane!" Ivysaur said with absolute certainty. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."**

 **0000**

"WILL YOU STOP BEING A CAMPY LITTLE SHIT?" Umbreon roared.

"Nooo," was Shuckle's reply.

Umbreon glared at Sherman. His plan was working perfectly. His car's defenses would allow him to survive anything thrown at him. Tepig continued to fire shot after shot, but they only left small dents.

"Tepig, I'm going to see if Scrafty's willing to help," Umbreon shouted. "Just keep Shuckle busy in the meantime!"

"Understood!" Tepig shouted as Umbreon drove off. He aimed another shot, but froze.

"What's that, Mr. Pineapple? Some shenanigans ensuing in THAT direction?" Tepig asked. "Let's go pay them a visit."

 **0000  
"Victini will not be happy about today's challenge," Hariyama muttered. "Crobatman lawsuits, property damage, and now Tepig seems to be having schizophrenia. Not good day to be host of this show."**

 **0000**

"Hello. My name is Elefante Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

"Shut up!" Gallade snarled as he aimed strike after strike. Donphan defended, and the two fought back and forth, Donphan in the lead with his spectacular swordplay.

Donphan parried Gallade's thrust. "Riposte!"

His sword was at Gallade's throat. "Say my name."

Gallade rolled his eye. "Donphan."

"…No."

"FINE! Elefante Montoya! What the hell do you want?"

Donphan slammed the hilt of his sword onto Gallade's head, knocking him down into the Vengeance. Cassius finished it off with a shot of intense flame, leaving the car a flaming wreckage.

"I want my father back, you son of a bitch," Donphan whispered.

 **0000**

" **I DIDN'T EVEN KILL HIS FUCKING FATHER! WHAT IS HE ON?" Gallade roared.**

 **0000**

Donphan let out a trumpet of victory before a cannon shot blasted his chariot to smithereens.

Tepig grinned from his truck. "I'm on a role today, holy shit!"

Phione winced. "Aww…Donphan kicks total ass, but Tepig, ever the opportunist, is able to finish him off!"

"I may have been wrong about him," Slowking admitted. "Tepig is a lot smarter then he looks."

 **00000**

 **Mr. Pineapple sits on the sink, before toppling over, falling on the floor.**

 **0000**

"You know, I'm surprised you actually agreed to do this," Munchlax admitted as he and Scrafty drove towards Shuckle's tank. "I thought you'd just drift around and piss people off."

Scrafty shook his head. "I want Shuckle out of the challenge, no exceptions. With Gallade gone, he's my greatest threat."

"Yeah, well-"

"HERE'S JOHNNY!"

Tepig slammed into Munchlax's car, impaling the cherry with his tusks. Scrafty watched in horror as Munchlax was dragged far off road, pieces of his car already being ripped off.

"Holy shit," Scrafty whispered.

Munchlax screeched as Tepig cackled in his victory, firing repeated blasts at the cherry at close range.

"Oh, come on, mate, keep a smile on your face!" Tepig said. "This is the only cherry of yours that'll ever be popped!"

He laughed, but soon Munchlax giggled in response. Tepig snorted.

"Yeah, it is pretty funny, isn't it?"

"N-no, I was laughing at something else actually," Munchlax said through his chuckles.

"Haha….oh, heh, what?" Tepig asked.

Munchlax snickered. "You think the name of my car is Cherry Bomb for no reason?"

Tepig's grin faded. "What."

"Hahaha….this is totally a bomb. You'd better get out quick," Munchlax said, wiping away a tear of mirth.

"SHIT!" Tepig shouted, trying to pull out, but his tusks were too far lodged into the cherry. "I'm not gonna pull out in time!"

"Nickel for every time that's happened, eh?" Munchlax drawled as he poured a cup of cherry smoothie.

" _Hello, daddy. Hello, mom."_

 _I'm your ch-ch-ch-cherry bomb!"_

0000

"Ugh," Infernape muttered, rubbing his head. "I think I'm finally getting my head straight."

Mr. Pineapple flew, bouncing off Infernape's head, (with enough force to knock him over,)

and landed next to Phione. Phione picked the pineapple up and pointed a microphone at his fake mouth.

"So, Mr. Pineapple, how did you feel about that tremendous display that took out Munchlax and Tepig at the same time?"

Mr. Pineapple, as it seemed, wasn't too eager to reply.

"Down to last few campers," Hariyama muttered.

"Scrafty, Shuckle, Zorua, and Umbreon…. interesting group," Sableye noted. "Question seems to be if they can bring down Shuckle or not."

"Well, Umbreon and Scrafty certainly seem eager to try!" Phione announced. "They're heading for Sherman!'

Shuckle shot awake, a little cranky at being awoken from his nap. Scrafty was driving forward, challenging Shuckle to fire at him. Shuckle frowned. He was no fool; this had to be some sort of trap.

Still, he had to try. Shuckle aimed the shot….

Umbreon jumped out of nowhere, her cable already shooting and wrapping around Sherman's turret. She grunted, shooting off in the other direction and forcing the turret to spin and fire. At the same time, Scrafty drove past, pressing a button that unloaded his cargo. He dropped a lit cigarette, chuckling.

Shuckle sighed. "Ay caramba."

BOOM!

Scrafty, now far lighter in his cab, drove ahead with Umbreon. Shuckle's tank stayed upright after the massive explosion, but fell after Zorua ran through it.

"Once the defenses were weakened I was easily able to break it," She said, matter of factly. "You did well, but it's about time I win this."

Shuckle crawled out of his tank, groaning as Zorua's car turned invisible once more.

 **0000**

 **Shuckle wiped off some soot. "Teaming jerks."**

 **0000**

"Ouch, I hope Shuckle's okay," Munchlax said worriedly. Most of the campers were sitting at the stadium, making bets.

"Zorua has this," Donphan muttered. "She baited Gallade and I to fight."

"I'd argue Umbreon," Slowking countered. "She's faster than Scrafty and presumably has a head start. Even if Zorua could take her out, there's no saying that she'll be able to reach her in time."

"Scrafty's got a few tricks up his sleeve, I think," Charizard said. "But yeah, Umbreon's a threat."

Scrafty and Umbreon were driving up the narrow path, avoiding the heavy obstacles thrown at them. While Umbreon had to dodge, Scrafty's cab was bulky enough to take everything thrown at him with only minor damage.

"Clever design choice," Lucario noted. "He's a lot faster, but dumping his cargo didn't drop any of his defenses."

"Don't forget, Umbreon's not too good at a long rage," Sylveon whispered. "She'll have a tough time trying to take him out."

Phione giggled. "Let's make things more interesting. Explosion time!'

He tapped a button, and the road under Scrafty and Umbreon was destroyed.

"SHIT!" Scrafty screamed, panicking. Umbreon's eyes went wide. 

"Why did Phione do this?" Hariyama asked. "Now they're both out."

"Oops," Phione said with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I got carried away-wait look!"

A cable had attached itself to the ledge. An instant later, the Midnight Run jumped in the air and landed safely on the other side. Umbreon was taking deep, steady breaths.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!?"

Phione winced, before speaking into his megaphone. "Sorry, Umbreon. The path is clear!"

Umbreon simply rolled her eyes and continued to drive. 

**0000**

" **Bullshit," Scrafty growled, wearing a cast. "I could have won easily if it weren't for the sabotage."**

 **0000**

Umbreon drove up the winding path, nearing the summit. Her eyes were narrowed. Zorua was still in the game, and she could be anywhere. She couldn't rely on her eyes for something like this.

There it was! The flag! She could take it right now!

She drove forward, reaching out a hand. The campers at the stadium watched in fascination. Would she make it!

Umbreon, out of nowhere, dove off her motorcycle, hitting the ground in a roll as Zorua turned visible, missing by inches. Zorua lost control of her car, but managed to regain it in time for Umbreon to hop back on her bike.

"Good reflexes," Zorua drawled. "You and Donphan were the only ones that saw me coming."

Umbreon shrugged. "Really? I thought that obnoxious aura you have would give you away."

Zorua grimaced at her insult. "Rude. You know, I thought we might have shared a kinship considering how similar we are."

Umbreon snorted. "The fact that we're both bitches doesn't make us friends. You and I really aren't alike."

Zorua narrowed her eyes. "I turned over a new leaf, okay? No more sabotage. Even if I didn't, what the hell did I do to you?"

Umbreon shrugged. "Nothing, but you're still a shitty person. Can't blame me for not liking you because of that."

"FINE! Be that way!" Zorua growled. "Excuse me for trying to be friendly! Look, I don't like being the ice bitch that hates everyone, okay?"

"That's the difference then," Umbreon said. "I know how to be comfortable with myself. I don't try to pretend I'm someone I'm not!"

"Grr!" Zorua growled, driving forward, as Umbreon shot forward to meet her. "I don't need to be comfortable with myself to drive your smug ass to the ground!"

"Ooh! Who's gonna win?" Phione asked, as the entire cast leaned forward. Zorua's drill spun as Umbreon popped a wheelie, releasing the spikes from her tires once more.

Umbreon's spikes ripped into the Cloak and Dagger, but not before Zorua had stabbed her drill into the Midnight Run. Umbreon was only able to do a little bit of damage before Zorua ran her through. Umbreon collapsed as her bike split into two.

"THE WINNER IS ZORUA!" Phione announced, as Zorua slid off her car, wiping away some sweat. THAT had been close.

Most of the cast groaned at this, save for Tepig, who whooped and clapped hard. Zorua flinched at her less than enthusiastic welcome.

Umbreon snorted as she got up, pushing Zorua as she left. "If you want them to like you, you're gonna have to try harder.

 **0000**

 **Zorua gave the camera a tired look. "I wish I could enjoy my immunity, but….I hate this. Why the hell did I think I could just push my emotions down and think the money would be worth it. My closest friend is a narcissistic asshole with a fake accent."**

 **0000**

" **Time for some politics," Scrafty muttered.**

 **0000**

 **Charizard could be seen choking Tepig. "GIVE HIM BACK, PIG!"**

" **SQUEAL!"**

 **0000**

Ivysaur, Donphan, and Infernape were all eating at the mess hall. Donphan had called them there, knowing that only a famished Munchlax and disinterested Hariyama could be found there.

"What's up, dude?" Infernape asked. "We haven't had a formal meeting in forever."

Donphan shrugged. "Call it intuition, my simian comrade. I was just thinking that we might want to start getting worried."

Ivysaur blinked. "I guess I see your point, but it's not like any of us performed well in the challenge. I mean you did, but-"

"The problem is you're not thinking ahead, my plant pal," Donphan said. "We have an alliance that's three men strong. I'm sure we've attracted attention from unsavory individuals, so I wanted to make sure that we voted together."

"Okay," Infernape said. "Who do we vote for?"

"Umbreon, perhaps?" Donphan asked. "Or Lucario. Someone we don't know too well, my monkey m-"

"STOP coming up with nicknames!" Ivysaur protested. "Look, let's just get this over with. I hate watching people go home."

"Same, man," Infernape said. "I always feel so guilty!"

"Us or them, friends!" Donphan trumpeted. "That is the mindset we must take!"

0000

"Hi, my name is Gallade," Gallade said, reading his book. "And I'm-"

"-a registered sex offender?" Tepig guessed.

Gallade groaned. "I forgot how much I hate you. Look, I'm trying to socialize more and I could use your help. Specifically Zorua."

Zorua's eyes widened. "Why me?"

Gallade shrugged. "You seem to be in a similar position. I was hoping we could help each other."

Zorua raised an eyebrow. "Why the hell would I want-"

STOP, Zorua warned herself. Take that little voice in your head that tells you to be a bitch and shoot in the god damned face. THIS was why people don't like you. It was only because of Ampharos' never-ending reservoir of empathy that brought them together.

"S-sure, that sounds like it would be fun," Zorua forced out. "Though, I'm surprised you're coming to me now of all times."

Gallade looked down, blushing. "Grovyle was the one that convinced me. She told me that I should enjoy the competition more."

"Well, maybe you and I could go grab dinner after the ceremony?" She asked. "Tepig could come too, if he wants-"

"NO!" Gallade snarled.

 **0000**

" **Oh, you can't deny the fact that I'm endearing," Tepig said with a toothy grin.**

 **0000**

"What's with the monkey suit?" Umbreon asked Victini as he floated in front of his podium, wiping away some sweat. He was still in fancy clothing.

"That's offensive," Infernape hissed down at her. Umbreon rolled her eyes.

"Date night," Victini said. "Now I'd appreciate if nobody asked questions-"

"So how was the date, lover boy?" Tepig asked. "Who was the lucky sheila? Heatran?"

"Shut it!" Victini growled. "The date was uh….well I said some things that weren't exactly flattering, and then…."

"Nice to see that you're about as good at attracting girls as you are at running the show," Tepig purred.

"Isn't this a bit excessive?" Slowking asked as Victini raged.

Tepig shrugged. "Eh. I figure I'm due to leave any day now, so I want to get my licks in."

Victini took a deep breath. "Okay. So I watched the reruns of the challenge, and I have a few comments. Number one: Donphan, you're a crazy bastard. Number two: I'm not sure how Infernape is still competing-"

"Hey!" Infernape protested.

"And three! Wow, Shuckle. Way to piss everybody off by camping in front of their path. I'm sure you made some enemies today!"

Shuckle blushed, looking down. "It's what I do, I guess?"

"Congrats to Zorua, for managing to win immunity!" Victini said. "A welcome award, I'm sure, considering you were on the chopping block last time…"

"Can you stop singling me out and get on with it?" Zorua snapped. "I just want to watch some poor shit leave."

"Fine, fine. When I call your name, come up!"

 **0000**

" **Donphan," Scrafty said.**

 **0000**

" **Umbreon," Ivysaur said, narrowing his eyes.**

 **0000**

" **I'm sick of Charizard being here," Umbreon scowled. "Get him out already!"**

 **0000**

Victini looked over the votes. "Wow…interesting. Well, the first poffin goes to…."

Victini sighed. "Who's the jackass that voted for Mr. Pineapple?"

Silence.

Then Tepig fell over, laughing hysterically. "I'm sorry mate, too good of an opportunity!"

"Just take your stupid poffin, Tepig, you're safe!" Victini growled. "Sylveon, Shuckle, Munchlax, and Infernape. You guys are good for the night!"

Infernape glanced back nervously at Donphan and Ivysaur before he began chomping on his poffin. Munchlax and Shuckle high fived. Sylveon gave a weak smile as she held her treat in her ribbons.

Lucario folded her arms and glanced over at Umbreon and Ivysaur on either side of her. She could feel so many auras in hyperdrive, and it was putting her on edge.

"Scrafty, can't forget about you, dude!" Victini said with a chuckle.

Scrafty rose to his feet with a mysterious grin. "Well, if you insist."

Victini gazed for a long time over the remaining contestants. "Er…. Lucario and…..Ivysaur. You guys didn't get any votes, so you're okay. Good job, Slowking! No votes for you either! Charizard, you got a single vote, but it wasn't enough to drag you down."

Charizard exhaled in relief. He knew he wasn't very popular at this point. He took his poffin gratefully and tossed it into his mouth. Ivysaur sat down next to Infernape, and they both watched Donphan with horrified fascination.

Donphan and Umbreon exchanged a look before staring up at Victini.

"Final two, here we are," Victini muttered. "Umbreon, you came in second in this challenge, so perhaps that alerted everyone that you might be a threat. Donphan, you're considered by both the competitors AND folks watching the show to be a wild card! It's possible someone thinks that you're not worth the risk!"

Donphan closed his eyes as Umbreon began rubbing her arm.

Victini leered at them. "The final poffin…. goes to...Umbreon."

 **0000**

" **Screw this show for making me worry so much," Umbreon said with an exhausted look.**

 **0000**

"Sorry Donphan, but you've been eliminated," Victini said.

Donphan took a shaky breath. "I'll get my things. This has been a wonderful experience, Victini."

Scrafty grinned. Flawless.

"However," Donphan said. "Before I leave, there is a quick announcement I'd like to make. That okay?"

"Sure, anything that'll raise ratings!" Victini said, backing away.

"Friends, I won't deny that I'm hurt a little at being voted off," Donphan admitted. "I can accept it, as someone always has to leave. But there's something that does strike me as odd. Ivysaur, Infernape and I all voted for Umbreon. This means that someone campaigned to eliminate me."

"I could be wrong of course, but my guess is that one of you was able to convince a group to eliminate me," Donphan said. "I may have been voted out as a threat, but this hypothetical person is far more dangerous then I am if he or she can convince a group of at least four to eliminate someone. I urge everyone to keep that in mind."

He walked off to the confessional without another word.

 **0000**

 **Donphan sighed in the confessional. "I won't deny that I'm disappointed, but I performed to the best of my ability and hopefully left an impact. Infernape and Ivysaur; I'm counting on you two."**

 **He coughed. "I should mention that I have no idea who this perpetrator is, or even if they exist. In all honesty, I'm just curious to see how everyone reacts."**

 **0000**

 **Gallade frowned. "I've had a good relationship with Scrafty, or at least a working one. But still….HE was the one to tell me to vote for Donphan. Perhaps the elephant's words have truth to them…"**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty groaned. "Damn you, Donphan, for that little performance. Still, you're gone, and with that, so ends the threat of Infernape's group. Victini was right, you WERE a wild card, and considering your skill last challenge, I've decided to put you to rest."**

 **He smoked for a few moments. "It's about time I met my end of the bargain. Sorry Munchlax, but you've skated by long enough."**

 **0000**

"Hey Munchlax, promise to tell me the truth on this, okay?" Shuckle asked. It was several hours later, long after Donphan had left the island. The two were having a midnight snack.

Munchlax gulped down the milk he was drinking. "S-sure."

"Was it Scrafty that told you to vote for Donphan?" Shuckle asked. "Were you trying to deceive me when you told me that he was the best choice for elimination?"

Munchlax sighed. "I really can't slide anything past you, can I? Y-yeah, it was him."

Shuckle groaned. "Look, in this case I'm not too upset. Three votes post merge is pretty vicious, but you need to decide whose side you're on. Why…why do you keep working with Scrafty anyway? He stopped bribing you, right?"

"He did, but…. look Shuckle, I know you don't like him, but he has a bunch of smart ideas!" Munchlax said. "We're both still here, right? Look, think of me as a secret agent or something, okay? If he ever goes after us, I'll make sure we get him out. But in the meantime, look at all the threats he's taking out for us!"

Shuckle sighed. "Strategically, you have a point. But Munchlax, you KNOW this isn't right. Sure I want to win, but I don't want us to be seen as scumbags either. And Scrafty is DANGEROUS, Munchlax. Look, just promise me you'll vote for him next chance we get."

Munchlax rubbed his arm. "Okay, it's just complicated. Scrafty and I…kinda bonded last challenge."

"Manipulation," Shuckle said. "Look, he's turning us against each other even now, can't you see it?"

Munchlax sighed. "I guess…but you weren't there! I'll vote for him, but I won't like it."

"Good. Chin up, Munchlax," Shuckle said. "We have a pretty good chance at winning this if we keep working together."

"Yeah…." Munchlax said. There was an awkward pause.

"Still, pineapple pizza is awesome."

"Go to hell."

0000

Y'know, this pretty much confirmed to me that my spark is back. Not sure about you guys, but the chapter was fun as hell to write.

Mr. Coconut is finally reborn in Tpi (he may have been before, but I don't have too good of a memory), and we finally lose Donphan. Donphan seemed to be a love him or hate him kinda character, and arguably one of the funniest. I'll miss him, but Scrafty sure won't!

So what did you think of the chapter? All the cool (and weird) cars? Predictions, questions, critiques, ANYTHING! It gives me strength to carry on!

See ya soon, dudes!


	26. Chapter 26: Trust Building

0000

"I-Gallade, I don't know what to say!" Ivysaur gasped. "That's awful!"

"You're telling me," Gallade said with a forced chuckle. "I know I sound pretty pathetic, but I could use a lot of help with this."

"Anything, man!" Ivysaur said. "Why did we have to go so deep into the forest, though?"

"Didn't want this on camera," Gallade admitted. "I promise I'll do whatever it takes to get the money. You just seemed like a very approachable person, and-"

"Gallade, relax!" Ivysaur protested. "I'll do my best to help! I'm just not sure if my dad will be too keen on the idea."  
"Why, what's he like?" Gallade asked, suspicious.

"He's…erm, he works hard, but it makes him tired and cranky. He doesn't have a ton of patience, and... I don't know, he can be pretty selfish," Ivysaur admitted. "I-he's not heartless though, so maybe he'll listen."

"You don't sound too sure," Gallade muttered.

"I promise I'll figure something out, okay?" Ivysaur said to reassure him. "Just…try to relax for now. I'll send a letter to my dad or something."

Gallade took a deep breath. "Okay. Thanks. Just…. please don't mention it to anyone."

Ivysaur gave a shy smile. "Wouldn't dream of it. Let's save your sister!"

 **0000  
"I'll be honest; Ivysaur is too good for this game," Gallade admitted. "I'm grateful for his help, but he's so nice and innocent that I'm afraid that he could be manipulated by someone cruel enough to use his kindness to their advantage."**

 **0000**

"Shit, there aren't a lot of girls left at all, huh," Umbreon muttered, looking around at her cabin.

Lucario was out training or something, leaving only two other girls in the room. Sylveon and Zorua were busy playing cards.

"You're just noticing that now!?" Sylveon asked in disbelief.

"Oy. I don't play along well with others, so excuse me if I'm a little out of the loop," Umbreon grumbled.

"Eh, there never were as many girls as boys in the cast," Zorua said with a shrug. "We just lost Grovyle, so now we're down to four."

"Hmm….well if there's only four of us left… why don't we make a girl's alliance?" Sylveon asked. "We can't just let the boys win-"

"NO," Zorua snarled.

"No," Umbreon said. "I'm better off on my own."

 **0000**

" **I'm grateful to still be here, don't get me wrong," Sylveon said. "And I don't HATE the company here, but… Zorua and Umbreon are always so grumpy all the time and I have nothing in common with Lucario. I wish Audino was still here."**

 **0000**

 **Zorua hissed. "I really hate Umbreon. Maybe it's because she reminds me of myself, or maybe I'm sick of her attitude, but I want her gone. I guess I can wait until Munchlax and Slowking leave, though. Dammit, I should have made Umbreon's elimination part of the conditions of my agreement."**

 **0000**

 **Lucario smiled, looking flushed and happy from her exercise. "Hariyama's regimen is AWESOME! Pokken tournament, here I come!"**

 **0000**

Scrafty sat with Munchlax at the cafeteria, watching the little cub inhale all of the cupcakes Ivysaur had baked for him.

"mmmph MMPhm mmp?" Munchlax asked.

Scrafty rolled his eyes. "Pardon?"

Munchlax swallowed, leaving a frosting coated goatee. "You want one?"

Scrafty snorted. "I feel like you'd bite my hand off if I tried to take one from you. You need to diet, man."

"I CAN STOP WHENEVER I WANT!" Munchlax declared.

Scrafty raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Munchlax slammed his face into the table. "Probably not."

Scrafty smacked him in the head. "Whatever, Pooh Brain. I….er…..appropriated the challenge schedule with Victini, so I know what we're up against."

"Ooh, let me see!" Munchlax said, but Scrafty slapped his hand away.

"Down boy. No. Not until answer a simple question," Scrafty said. "WHY THE HELL DO YOU LIKE ME SO MUCH?"

Munchlax blinked. "Um… I don't understand the question."

Scrafty groaned, before realization struck. "Munchlax, lift up your fur."

Munchlax blushed. "But then you'll see my body. I'm super insecure, man."

Scrafty ignored him and lifted up the flaps of fur. Various items of food tumbled out, along with the game of life.

"Oh, so THAT'S where that board game was," Munchlax said in relief. "Hey, haha, now you can't tell me to get a- " 

"I KNEW it!" Scrafty snarled, lifting up a tiny microphone. "Shuckle bugged you! He set me up!"

 **0000**

 **Shuckle was sitting in the confessional with a bunch of recording equipment. He took off his headphones and sighed. "Busted."**

 **0000**

"Dammit, Jirachi! Am I supposed to have an Id or not!? Solgaleo and Manaphy are telling completely different stories!" Victini barked into his cell phone.

"Well, I have one," Jirachi said, sounding a bit unsure. "Maybe the higher ups like Rayquazza and Solgaleo don't have too?"  
"Shit, good point. Dammit, I AM gonna have to renew this thing, aren't I?" Victini growled. "Sure could use a toaster strudel right now. Oh, also, tell Kyurem he's a dick."

"I thought Kyurem was a girl?"

"One of them is a girl. I think? Dammit, why does this community's canon make no sense!?" Victini roared, hanging up.

"I need to vent my frustrations on these campers," Victini spat. Hariyama looked up from where he was cooking bacon.

"Hariyama had the preconceived notion that host was being kinder."

"Yeah, fuck that, I'm in a bad mood," Victini growled. "Nothing too physically painful, but something that'll annoy the hell out of them for sure."

Hariyama tapped his chin. "Hmm…..an idea is making with the occurring."

0000

"Can I take a break?" Infernape wheezed, struggling to get up. Lucario wiped some sweat off her face, before helping him up.

"When do I get a turn?" Munchlax asked over the game he was playing. He and Shuckle were sitting under the shade of an umbrella, sipping lemonade.

"When hell freezes over," Lucario muttered. "Or you evolve!"

"What are you playing?" Shuckle asked, leaning over Munchlax's shoulder.

"Huniepop," Munchlax said, not looking up. "It's where you date girls by being a manipulative bastard and seduce them with your sexy puzzle solving skills. And yes, that was a direct quote."

"So, uh…if you win the game if you-"

"Plow them like a cornfield? Yes, yes you do," Munchlax muttered.

"Oh. Gross," Shuckle said, making a face.

Munchlax raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Hey, I'm the _mold_ Pokemon. I don't exactly have sexual organs. It's just all gross, sweaty nonsense to me."

Munchlax blinked. "Well, when it's someone you really love-"

"Love? As in the chemical reaction in your brain that compels you to pass down genes? The "emotion" that occurs every time one goes to the daycare center? That the "love" you're referring to? Yeah, no. Count me out."

"Wow, Shuckle, I didn't realize you were so cynical on the matter," Munchlax said, astonished.

"Cynicism, realism, same difference," Shuckle dismissed. "To me, Lopunny isn't any more attractive than Mr. Pineapple."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Lucario asked, walking over. "Got any extra le-"

"SNEAK ATTACK!" Infernape screamed, jumping forward. Lucario closed her eyes, ducking to the side and avoiding the monkey's lightning fast punch. Her elbow struck out, catching Infernape's vulnerable chest. With a grunt, she flipped him over her head, stepping on his stomach when he tried to rise.

"Got any extra lemonade? Oh, and by the way, Infernape. Screaming sneak attack kind of ruins the purpose of sneak attacking."

 **0000**

" **WHOO! I DID IT!" Munchlax whooped. "TAKE THAT, OBNOXIOUS PUZZLE GAME THAT IS BARELY WORTH THE FANSERVICE AT THE END!"**

 **0000**

"Who's ready for another challenge, kiddies?" Victini asked with a gleam in his eye.

"Why do you even bother?" Umbreon asked. "We've never gotten a choice."

"Because I'm allowed to do whatever I want as long as it doesn't involve my controversial legends license," Victini said. "So, after reaching some footage, I'm noticing a LOT OF TENSION between you guys. Very entertaining, but I want us to come closer as a group."

"Oh Arceus, he's pulling something," Zorua said, her eyes wide. "I don't know what it is, but I recognize that evil smile that could make Wooper everywhere cry. What do you think, Tepig?"

"I think we should have casual sex."

Zorua rolled her eyes. "A few weeks ago I would've questioned why you're asking me this on national television, where Minccino is likely watching you, but I've since come to the conclusion that you're just a dumbass."

"A dumbass who beat Carbink," Tepig said innocently.

"Then you're a douchebag, if not a complete dumbass. That what you want to hear?"

"I'm young, I'll grow out of it."

"QUIET!" Victini snarled. "Like a couple challenges ago, you'll be pairing up. However, unlike last time…."

He held up a pair of handcuffs. "You'll be tied to your partner."

Tepig snickered. "Sounds kinky. I call Zorua."

"NO!" Zorua screamed.

"No," Victini snapped. "And Tepig, I swear to god I am so close to getting you automatically eliminated for sexual harassment."

"Do legends pray to gods?" Slowking asked.

"Oy! It ain't harassment if they enjoy it!" Tepig said with a roguish grin.

"I DON'T ENJOY IT! AUTOMATICALLY ELIMINATE HIM SO I CAN FINALLY BE FREE OF HIS ASSHOLERY!"

"Okay, we're taking things down a bit," Victini said, wincing at her loud noise. "I already have the teams set up, based on what we know about your relationships."

"So, does one of us get immunity then?" Charizard asked. "Considering there are an uneven number of campers, just like last time."

Victini stared at him for a moment, before letting out a scream. "STUPID, STUPID, STUPID-"

"Does he seem on edge to you or is it just me?" Infernape asked Slowking, who rolled his eyes in response.

Victini took a deep breath. "Charizard, for this challenge, you'll be paired up with Mr. Pineapple. Have fun with that."

"What? How the hell will I even be able to handcuff him?" Charizard asked.

"Not my problem," Victini muttered. "So when I call your names, team up. Infernape and Umbreon."

"Alright! This is gonna be rad!" Infernape shouted, pounding his chest like a gorilla.

"Can one of you just kill me and be done with it?" Umbreon drawled.

"Tepig and Gallade!" Victini said.

Gallade seethed quietly as he walked over to Tepig, who was choking on some of the milk he had just downed.

"Shuckle and Scrafty!"

Shuckle groaned. "Son of a-" 

"-bitch!" Scrafty finished. "Why can't we be with people we actually like? Not that any of you will be invited to my wedding, but still."

"Hmm…. let's see….we'll do Ivysaur and Sylveon…."

Ivysaur breathed a sigh of relief as Sylveon smiled shyly. They were worried they'd be stuck with Zorua.

"Okay….Zorua and….Slowking."

Slowking shrugged. He had no quarrel with Zorua, despite her unpopularity. "We bring an interesting set of skills to the table. I look forward to working with you."

Zorua blushed a little at his surprising act of friendliness. "I…er…whatever, thanks."

"And that leaves Lucario and Munchlax," Victini said. "Let's get started!"

"Oh cool!" Munchlax said, walking over to Lucario, who was groaning. "We get to….er, something wrong?"

 **0000**

" **I like Munchlax, I really do," Lucario said. "But…he's also dead weight. He's slow, somewhat lazy, gluttonous, has no stamina, undisciplined-"**

 **0000**

" **You know, I think Lucario and I have a good friendship because of our ability to see the best in each other despite our differences," Munchlax said. "We have a ton of respect for each other's lifestyles."**

 **0000**

" **-a bit dim, and if we're being blunt, he isn't much to look at," Lucario finished. "Damn it, I'm going to have to carry him this challenge, aren't I?"**

 **0000**

Soon, everybody was handcuffed to each other despite some of their lack of hands. Though some, like Ivysaur and Sylveon were satisfied, others, like Gallade and Umbreon, clearly wanted to kill their partners.

"So, as for the challenge….we'll be doing what I like to call….the reverse bracket!" Victini announced. "Remember that castle thing we had for the king of the hill fortress?"

Slowking smirked. He had won that challenge. Charizard, Lucario, and Gallade were all giving him dirty looks. He supposed they were still sore about their failure to win something they were so proficient at.

"Well…. now it's a coliseum, after Hariyama's repair job!" Victini said. "Too bad Donphan's gone. He would have loved it. I'll explain the rules as we walk, guys!"

"So, what's a reverse bracket?" Ivysaur asked, his stubby legs struggling a bit to keep up with Sylveon's brisk pace.

"Well, in THIS tournament, losing means you move up in the bracket, while a victory will bring you automatic immunity."

"That's….odd…the winners will be weeded out instead of the losers…" Slowking muttered. "Wait, if every winner gets immunity, then-"

"Absolutely right, Slowking!" Victini said. "The ones who gets first place in the tournament receives AUTOMATIC ELIMINATION! And yes, that's plural. Two of you will be going home instead of one! Cheers!"

Munchlax looked up at Lucario. "Uh…Lucario, why are you crying?"

"Wonderful, I end up not only getting dragged down by troll doll over here," Umbreon growled, yanking on Infernape's chain.

"Oy! I made that joke first!" Tepig shouted.

"And I'll have to ride the boat home with him too?"

Victini smiled. "Better not lose then, huh."

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "Whatever. May as well try. Infernape, if we lose I'm going to make what Lucario did to you look like a sunburn in comparison."

Slowking coughed. "In all fairness, skin cancer is not to be trifled with-"

"Shut up, Slowking," Umbreon said.

"Whoa, hey! We're here!" Shuckle said from his wagon.

"How the hell did you coerce me into dragging you in that thing?" Scrafty asked, realizing his actions for the first time.

"Whoa," Sylveon said. "It's so pretty!"

The Coliseum looked exactly like something from one of Donphan's plays, but it also looked brand new. The seats surrounded the football field sized arena, with several gates around to unleash some nasty surprises.

"Yeah, this must be Donphan's heaven," Ivysaur admitted, causing Sylveon to giggle.

"Okay! Each round has its own mini challenge that will have all of you competing in. The first round is the double battle, a test of teamwork and balance. The winners will get their gold medals, and the losers will have to compete in the next round!"

"You better not slow me down," Gallade spat.

Tepig rolled his eyes. "Will you calm your knickerbockers?"

"Knicker…knicker what?"

"I can hold my own in fights," Tepig said. "Just not fights against psychopathic mega Pokemon with a thirst for vengeance."

"I will slit your throat," Gallade growled. "If you don't shut up."

"Okay mate, calm down."

 **0000**

 **Ivysaur rubbed a bump on his head. "Ow…that double battle was intense…"**

 **0000**

 **Infernape rubbed his arm. "Umbreon doesn't like me that much, but that's okay. I'll convince her that I'm a total stud and she'll think I'm super cool, and-"**

 **0000**

" **He's lucky I don't have a license to kill," Umbreon chuckled.**

 **0000**

Victini was dressed in the clothes of an emperor, cleaning his nails as Probopass the intern gave him some grapes. Alomola tried to help, but ended up unleashing a cloud of glitter in the top box where he was sitting. All three of them coughed as Hariyama dragged Alomola away.

"Ugh…. well the first match is Ivysaur and Sylveon versus Slowking and Zorua. The match ends either by knockout or until one side concedes. Fighters ready?"

"Yeah," Zorua said, narrowing her eyes.

"Sure," Ivysaur said.

"Yes," Slowking drawled.

"Wh-whenever you are!" Sylveon said.

"ENGAGE!"

Ivysaur and Sylveon both unleashed attacks at the same time, but Slowking and Zorua merely vanished from view. A dark pulse shot forward from a corner.

Sylveon's ear twitched. "Down!" She yanked Ivysaur to the side, avoiding the dark pulse by inches.

"Back to back!" Ivysaur shouted, and they stood at opposite sides.

Ivysaur focused, shooting off leech seeds in every direction. "They won't be able to hide for long…"

Sylveon said nothing response, focusing her ears. They listened for anything that might give away their opponents' movement.

It was Zorua tripping over the leech seed that alerted them to their location. Ivysaur's vines shot out and wrapped around her leg, slamming her to the ground.

Slowking became visible due to Zorua's lack of focus, his eyes glowing with psychic power as he threw Ivysaur back with his mind. Syvleon's head jerked back when the handcuffs dragged her back with them.

"Okay, this is annoying," Ivysaur grumbled, rising unsteadily. "Any ideas?"

Sylveon ducked under another dark pulse. "I don't know! Slowking is too tough!"

"Well, I have one…" Ivysaur said, shooting a razor leaf to deflect one of Slowking's hydro pumps. "But you won't like it."

"Well, I'm open to suggestions," Sylveon said.

"Okay. My solar beam should be strong enough to blow through Slowking, but I'm going to need you to keep him busy while it charges."

"Oh, well that's not so bad-"

"For five minutes. And considering how badly we were beaten in one…nah never mind, you can totally handle it."

Sylveon gave him a stunned look. "You really have that much faith in me?"

"Y-yeah, sure," Ivysaur lied through his teeth.

"Okay then, I won't let you down!" Sylveon shouted, turning to face Slowking and Zorua. Ivysaur closed his eyes and concentrated, gathering as much light as possible. Sylveon pointed her feelers at her opponents as she pawed the ground.

"I may not be the toughest here, but I've come a long way from the shy little girl you used to know." Slowking and Zorua nodded to each other as Sylveon stood guard.

"I know how to be brave! I won't be a coward anymore! I will fight with all my strength, and I will wi-"

 **0000**

" **Think I know why my little brothers aren't allowed to watch this show," Munchlax said with wide eyes. "That was…yeesh."**

 **0000**

"So, a thought occurs," Shuckle said as the campers in the stadium watched Slowking and Zorua beat the living tar out of Sylveon. "We're watching this happen without intervening. Um… should we help?"

"Shuckle, we don't want to mess with Ivysaur's plan," Scrafty said with a sadistic grin as Slowking held Sylveon in place to allow Zorua to land several roundhouse kicks. "Pretty brilliant move by those two, though. Not exactly a good strategy, but certainly good entertainment."

"Double teaming bastards," Umbreon growled. "COME ON SYLVEON, JUST THROW A PUNCH ALREADY!"

"Jeez, I think Zorua just knocked out a tooth," Infernape said with a shiver.

Sylveon gasped as Slowking threw her to the ground. She tried to rise, but Slowking's telekinetic force kept her down.

"Kick the little shit while it's down!" Slowking shouted. Zorua and Slowking proceeded to do so as Sylveon curled up in a tight ball to protect her vitals.

" _Chargin' my attack,"_ Ivysaur sang under his breath as he continued to charge the solar beam, oblivious to Sylveon's beating.

"Ow! Ow! OW! Ivysaur, just shoot the stupid thing!" Sylveon managed to shout, though her outburst allowed Zorua to kick her in the face.

"Um… can you hold out a minute longer?" Ivysaur asked. "The charge is done, but if I do it for another thirty seconds it becomes a new color."

"Mmmmph! MMMMMPH!" Sylveon choked out, unable to speak with Zorua's foot pressed on her chest.

"Alright, fine… don't be a drama queen," Ivysaur said, rolling his eyes. "SOLAR BEAM!"

The blast shot forward towards Slowking, who only managed a look of fear before it made contact. The solar beam blasted through Slowking and into the wall behind him, leaving a crater.

"Holy shit, it actually worked," Charizard said, gaping. "There was a lot of power behind that move."

"Keep in mind, Zorua's still-huh?" Shuckle pointed at the dust.

Slowking had vanished, now replaced by the much smaller form of Zorua, who had been able to avoid the attack with ease.

"No, I missed!"

Sylveon said something so foul that Victini slammed the button on the censor button. The genuine Slowking remained completely unharmed to the right, and he grabbed Ivysaur with his mind, dragging a half conscious Sylveon with him.

With a grunt, he slammed their heads together, knocking them both out cold.

"AND IMMUNITY GOES TO SLOWKING AND ZORUA BY KNOCKOUT!" Victini announced. "Your opponents will certainly be feeling that in the morning. Er… Hitmonchan, why don't you go see if they need medical help."

The intern ran down to the arena, while Victini shattered the handcuffs attaching Slowking and Zorua together. "You guys are done for the day. Do whatever you want, or you can just chill out here for a while and watch some other fights break down."

Slowking rubbed his hand, a bit sore from where it had been gripped by the tight cuffs. "Thank you for your assistance Zorua. The solar beam would have defeated me for sure if it weren't for your quick thinking."

Zorua smirked. "Amazing, aren't I? Though, I should give you some credit for knowing how to work with me. I'm glad we'll both stay another night."

 _But not too many other nights,_ Zorua thought silently. She was no fool; working with Slowking pretty much confirmed his status as a threat to her. Scrafty was a scumbag, but he had a point.

"You guys okay?" Victini asked to a feebly stirring Ivysaur and Sylveon. "Because you're going to be needed for the next challenge."

"I'm fine….but poor Sylveon took a beating," Ivysaur said with worried eyes. "I'm sorry, it was a dumb plan."

"It's fine," Sylveon said, rubbing one of her many bruises. "W-we'll win the next one for sure!"

"Okay, then head to the stands until your next battle. In the meantime, we have Charizard and Mr. Pineapple versus Lucario and Munchlax."

Charizard took flight off the stands, grinning as he stared at the fruit attached to his weight. No extra weight meant he could fight to his full extent, while Lucario would have a hand tied behind her back and Munchlax was… Munchlax.

"Um…hey, Lucario do you have a plan?" Munchlax asked the jackal nervously. "Because I can't help but feel a little outclassed here."

"Just don't stand in my way and we'll take it, easy," Lucario said, her eyes not leaving Charizard's.

"Everyone ready?"

"Yes," Charizard said, a hungry look in his eyes.

Mr. Pineapple said nothing.

"Yes," Lucario said in response, her face void of all emotion.

"N-not really," Munchlax whimpered.

"BEGIN!"

"Oh, COME ON!"

Charizard flew towards Lucario at high speeds, but Lucario dodged just as quick, before proceeding to deflect his attacks with one hand. Munchlax stumbled around, having no clue what she was doing.

"Kick her butt, Charizard!" Sylveon shouted.

"Lucario, just take him out like you took out me!" Infernape giggled.

"BOB AND WEAVE MUNCHLAX! BOB AND WEAVE AND STAY PASSIVE!" Shuckle shouted.

Lucario spun to avoid the swing of Charizard's tail, but it caught Munchlax in the stomach and sent him stumbling away. Lucario was thrown off balance by her cuff, leaving her open to a swift headbutt from Charizard. Lucario managed to land in a backwards handspring, while Munchlax's face slammed into the ground.

"Munchlax, I said don't get in my way!" Lucario shouted, throwing a one armed aura sphere that managed to make contact with Charizard, who roared in pain as he slid back.

"Dude, I can barely hold my own against INFERNAPE of all Pokemon-"

"WHY AM I ALWAYS THE EXAMPLE!?"

"How do I fight something like Charizard?" Munchlax asked.

Lucario sighed. "You don't. Just stay out of it and let me take care of things. No way I'm going to lose this challenge!"

"Uh…we. WE'RE not going to lose that challenge."

"Right, that's what I meant."

"I'm not sure you did," Munchlax protested.

Lucario ignored her, watching Charizard leap in the sky, taking flight. He flew circles around them, and Lucario tensed as she prepared to dodge his attack.

"Think Lucario can take Charizard on?" Scrafty nudged Shuckle, who threw him a dirty look.

Shuckle sighed. "That's not the question. Lucario and Munchlax aren't working well together at all. Look at the way Lucario's holding herself…she's ignoring Munchlax and leaving him to his own devices. If Charizard wanted to go for Munchlax, she wouldn't be able to….uh-oh," Shuckle finished as Charizard dove down, realization dawning on his face.

Lucario smirked. She could dodge it easily. Her expression changed as he slowly changed his sights.

Shuckle frantically waved his arms to catch her attention. "Lucario, get out of there! He's not going for you! He's going for-"

Charizard snatched Munchlax out of the ear, taking to the sky and dragging Lucario with her. With a wicked grin, he spun in the air, swinging Munchlax by the foot to gain momentum. With a grunt he threw them, Lucario slamming into the rocks.

Munchlax tried to drag her away, but a fire blast struck him in the next second, knocking him out cold.

"Charizard and Mr. Pineapple win immunity!" Victini shouted. "Munchlax, Lucario, better luck next time!"

Charizard grinned as he snapped off his handcuffs. He may not have been popular, but there was nothing anyone could do about automatic immunity. He had survived!

Still… it wasn't like he LIKED being scorned by everyone. He certainly wasn't going to hold back his ideals, but perhaps a kinder act would at the very least earn him some civility with the other campers.

" _Sylveon might know a thing about that,"_ he mused. He'd talk to her after the challenge.

 **0000**

" **At the very least I'm not snapping again," Charizard said, looking down at Mr. Pineapple gratefully. "I was pretty skeptical before, but yelling at an inanimate object is a really good stress reliever."**

 **0000**

"Munchlax, are you okay?" Lucario asked, trying to help him up. Munchlax stumbled to his feet, still looking a bit disoriented.

"I…er yeah I'm fine," Munchlax said. "Just a little off balanced."

"I-I'm sorry Munchlax," Lucario said, looking guilty. "I didn't watch after you well enough, and now look where we are."

"Hey, it's my fault for being sucky at fighting. You shouldn't have to do ALL of the work," Munchlax said.

"Look, Munchlax….to make it up to you, I have a trump card we can use to win the next battle for sure," Lucario said. "Neither of us are leaving tonight."

"Okay," Munchlax said. "As long as I survive it."

 **0000**

" **Guess we just have to learn to work together better," Munchlax said. "You know, I'm pretty disappointed that none of these challenges suit MY skillset. Like a JoJo's Bizarre Adventure trivia game? I can handle that."**

 **0000**

"Hmm, who's next….." Victini said, scratching his chin. "How about… Tepig and Gallade and…Umbreon and Infernape."

"Wait, but what about Scrafty and I? There's nobody for us to go against," Shuckle said.

Victini groaned. "You get a bye. Enjoy it."

"So we get immunity?" Scrafty asked.

"No, you get to reach the next round…. without…oh…shit," Victini said, realizing his blunder. 

"You really should have put more thought into this," Shuckle deadpanned.

"Listen," Gallade said to Tepig as they walked over to the arena. "I don't want to hear a word of you for the rest of the time of this challenge."

"Why? My sexy voice will distract you?" Tepig asked, batting his eyes.

"Literally the last adjective I would have used," Gallade snapped. "I'm strong, and you're no slouch, so if we work together and get this over with we'll never have to talk to each other again."

Tepig rolled his eyes. "Mate, you don't understand how I work. Like at all. The more you react the more fun it gets. Basic psychology."

"Will it be fun when I gut you like a fish?" Gallade asked. "Or am I going to have to get more creative?"

"Depends, what sort of fish?" Tepig asked. "Cuz if I'm a Magikarp then being gutted would be a wonderful experience."  
"Tepig…"

"Did you know some people actually worship that fucker?"

"Tepig…."

"Probably for ironic reasons, but still-"

"TEPIG! WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIGHT!" Gallade snarled as he dragged Tepig away from a shadow ball launched by Umbreon. 

"Eww, interrupting?" Tepig snapped. "Rude, mate."

"CHARIZARD, I'M ABOUT TO KILL HIM, SO GET THE HANDCUFFS READY!" Gallade roared.

Charizard blushed. "I'll be honest, I don't really want to get near you."

"We're already wearing cuffs, dumbass," Tepig said, rolling his eyes. "Really, you ought to be more self-aware."

Gallade tackled him to the ground, smashing the butt of his blades into Tepig's nose. Infernape and Umbreon glanced at each other and looked on in horror.

 **0000**

 **Tepig was cleaning off his nosebleed, and when he grinned some of his teeth were missing. "This is a game between us. If he gives in and kills me then I win."**

 **0000**

"Hey, Gallade?" Victini asked hesitantly. "I don't want to tell you how to do your job, but you're supposed to be attacking the Pokemon that AREN'T ON your team."

Gallade rose, holding a limp, unconscious Tepig. He slowly walked menacingly towards Umbreon and Infernape.

"We're screwed," Umbreon said without preamble.

"It does not matter!" Infernape shouted. "We will fight to our last breaths to defeat Gallade and save Tepig-"

"Yeah, fuck that," Umbreon said, turning around and walking away. "I'm not becoming a martyr for ANYONE, and I don't even LIKE Tepig that much."

"W-wait, that's it?" Victini asked. "You're just forfeiting? No awesome fight?"

"Up yours!" Umbreon shouted, flipping him the bird.

Victini sighed. "Weak. Gallade and Tepig win immunity."

Tepig opened an eye. "Wow, nice job, mate. Acting was spot on."

Gallade gave a sideways smirk. "You sure know how to take a beating at the very least. I think we had them fooled."

"So, with Charizard, Gallade, Munchlax, Lucario, Slowking, Tepig, and Zorua immune…it's time for round two!" Victini shouted. "Shuckle and Scrafty will be up against Umbreon and Infernape, but we'll be changing locations!"

 **0000**

 **Shuckle groaned. "I want to get rid of Scrafty, but there's no way to do it without me leaving as well. Damn it, if there was some loophole I could exploit…"**

 **0000**

"Logrolling. We're doing logrolling," Umbreon said. "Dammit, why not?"

"You guys will be logrolling while HANDCUFFED," Victini corrected. "Sound fun, kids?"

"Yeah!" Infernape whooped.

"Shut up!" Scrafty, Umbreon, and Shuckle snarled.

"Okay," Infernape said.

The log extended just above a waterfall, and it was big enough to support the four players. Umbreon and Scrafty both slipped and slid, struggling to stay balanced, but Infernape looked in his element, doing stretches on the log with ease.

 **0000**

" **It's odd," Infernape said. "Being a fire type, I hate water, right? So, when I'm in a bad situation, like…I can't fail. It's some cool psychedelic shit. Like adrenaline, but it calms you down. Also, logrolling sounds fun as hell, and I feel like I really got into the spirit of it."**

 **0000**

"How are you so balanced?" Umbreon hissed at Infernape. "I could use a bit of help."

"Nah, you're fine. Scrafty might need some help, though-"

"Other team, dumbass."

"Right. Sorry."

"This plan of yours better work," Scrafty snapped at Shuckle.

Shuckle rolled his eyes. "C'mon man. My plans have like a 48% success rate. You'll be fine, you big baby."

"Ready?" Victini asked.

Umbreon started to voice her concerns, but Infernape answered for her. "YEAH!"

"I guess we're ready too," Scrafty said, nodding at Shuckle.

"Begin!" Victini shouted.

They began to jog, some more balanced then others. Infernape was faring well, waving around at the crowed of campers who had come to watch. Umbreon, on the other hand, was struggling. She cursed as water sprayed her face and she stumbled over her own feet. Fortunately, Scrafty didn't seem to be doing any better.

"What do you know, Infernape actually doing good in challenge," Ivysaur said, looking impressed.

Tepig chugged down some milk. "Did I ever tell you all the time _I_ was a professional logroller?"

"Tepig, that was a dream you had a week and a half ago," Zorua said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh. Right."

Infernape kicked the log, throwing off Umbreon and Scrafty even more. Umbreon managed to narrowly hang on, but Scrafty finally toppled over after tripping over his baggy pants.

"Got one!" Infernape cheered, before Scrafty suddenly appeared on the log again. "Wait what?"

"Wow, clever move!" Victini said, pointing at the log. Shuckle had wrapped his arms around it, holding himself fast in place. "With Shuckle latched on like that, Scrafty can just push himself up again every time he falls.

Scrafty smirked, kicking the log and throwing Umbreon off balance. The dark type swore loudly as she fell, splashing in the water below. Infernape's eyes widened as the handcuff jerked, throwing him over as well.

"CAN'T SWIM! CAN'T SWIM!" Infernape screamed as he fell. Slowking rolled his eyes and caught him with his mind.

Umbreon crawled back to land, shaking to send water droplets spinning in every direction. "Why couldn't you have caught me."

"You're a dark type. Psychic moves don't work," Slowking drawled.

"Damn."

"Excellent work, Scrafty and Shuckle! You two win the round and immunity!" Victini announced. "Umbreon and Infernape…er …. You suck."

"Wonderful," Shuckle mumbled. "Just wish I wasn't stuck with Scrafty for another episode."

Victini read over his notes. "Okay… let's see. Next match will be Lucario and Munchlax versus Ivysaur and Sylveon."

 **0000**

" **Shit, so I'm probably leaving tonight," Umbreon said. "I need to… I need to come to terms with that."  
Infernape elbowed her. "Ah! Don't worry! Those last two times were both a fluke! We're winning the next one for sure!"**

 **Umbreon groaned. "I just came to terms with it."**

 **0000**

"Nice moves, dude!" Munchlax said, giving Shuckle a high five with his free hand. Shuckle smirked at his victory, but his expression changed to a look of worry.

"Do you have a plan? If you lose another match you're on the chopping block," Shuckle said. "I don't want to lose you like Bidoof and Plusle."

"Er, Lucario says she has a plan," Munchlax said, looking up at his partner.

Lucario cracked her knuckles. "Don't worry about it. This plan is fool proof."

Shuckle sighed. "Usually this is the part where something horrible happens out of irony, isn't it?" 

"Nah, at this point the irony would be us winning!" Munchlax joked.

"Get on the logs, you two!" Victini shouted. "I don't want to miss it when Munchlax breaks his neck."

"Wait," Munchlax said, mystified. "Why me specifically?"

 **0000**

" **This will be interesting," Slowking said, smiling. "Lucario is fit as a fiddle, Munchlax is a couch potato, and Umbreon and Sylveon are somewhere in between. Will Lucario be dragged down with a weaker teammate and shoddy teamwork, or will she decimate both her opponents on her own? I can't wait to watch."**

 **0000**

"Everybody ready?" Victini asked the campers, who were struggling to stay balanced up on the log. Ivysaur and Sylveon were managing fine, but Munchlax looked like he was going to fall any minute.

"Ready is an…interesting term," Munchlax said as Lucario straightened him up for the umpteenth time.

"Okay then!"

"Wait, that's not what I-DAMMIT!"

The four campers began to jog. Ivysaur and Sylveon both nodded as they found a nice pace, while Munchlax was whimpering in fear as he somehow managed to stay up.

Sylveon stumbled, but fast as thought Ivysaur caught her and helped her up.

"Good teamwork, that is," Tepig remarked. "Lucario and Munchlax are way behind in that regard. Probably going to cost them the match."

"Wow!" Zorua said in mock surprise. "Tepig, did you actually convey a well thought out sentence?"

Tepig looked away, embarrassed. "Ah, shove it!"

Victini watched them jog for a few minutes. "This is getting boring. Let's mix it up! You guys can attack each other now!"

"What? When was this a rule?" Lucario snapped, kicking the log in an attempt to knock down Ivysaur.

"Just now. This way is funner!"

"More fun," Slowking corrected.

"Shut up."

Ivysaur glanced at Sylveon with a conflicted look. "Should we?"

Sylveon nodded. "Why not? It's allowed, isn't it?"

Ivysaur casted out his vines, swinging them at Munchlax.

"Ow, hey!" Munchlax yelped, hopping over them. "Leave me alone, dude! I already suck!"

Sylveon shot a moon blast from above Ivysaur's head, hitting Munchlax in the stomach and knocking him into Lucario. Ivysaur and Sylveon smirked as they both fell off the log.

"Nice shot!" Ivysaur said. "I'm glad that-"

"NOT YET!" Lucario snarled. The spike on her hand had impaled itself into the log, leaving Lucario and Munchlax dangling over the edge.

"Stomp the shit out of her!" Ivysaur shouted, proceeding to kick at her foot with Sylveon quickly joining in, slamming her foot into Lucario's hand.

"Ow, ow, ow hey…STOP IT!" Lucario roared, glowing with a harsh light.

"Is she mega evolving?" Ivysaur asked, his eyes wide. 

"Kick her harder, KICK HER HARDER!" Sylveon shouted.

They continued to land vicious kicks on Lucario, to no effect. When the barrier around her exploded, a buffer Lucario with vicious eyes and longer dreadlocks appeared, baring her teeth at her opponents.

"ALRIGHT CHUMPS! WHO GETS THEIR PISS SHITTED OUT FIRST!"

"Ah dammit…Lucario didn't take her meds again," Munchlax muttered.

"WHAT WAS THAT?"

"I said I am on your team so there is absolutely no reason to break my face!" Munchlax shouted.

"Hmph," Lucario turned to face Ivysaur and Sylveon, who were both trying to hide behind the other.

"YOU DIDN'T ANSWER MY QUESTION MAGGOTS!" Mega Lucario snapped.

Ivysaur gulped. "Sylveon we c-can probably still win, right? I mean she's-"

"Ivysaur, we are hopelessly, undeniably, and inevitably screwed," Sylveon said. "Heck, people don't even LIKE me in this show."

Ivysaur gulped. "Well, we have to TRY SOMETHING!"

"There's an alternative that you're not seeing," Sylveon said, grabbing two handguns and tossing one to Ivysaur. "We'll shoot each other at the same time."

Ivysaur gaped. "What?"

"Are you going to try to prevent this?" Slowking asked Victini, who looked drawn into the scene.

"You shut your mouth!" Victini snapped. "This is gold!"

"Where the hell did she get the gun?" Zorua asked.

"Okay. On three," Sylveon said, aiming her gun. "One, two-"

"Wait, I have a better idea!" Ivysaur shouted.

"Eep!" Sylveon cried out, pulling the trigger. Ivysaur ducked and the shot knocked Mr. Pineapple out of Charizard's grip.

"I could have you arrested for this!" Charizard barked. "Just thought you should know!"

Ivysaur knocked Sylveon's gun away and dropped his own. "Okay, I have an idea. But uh…I'm not sure if you're going to like it. Er…again."

Sylveon rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, how could it possibly be worse than being beaten have to death for five minutes?"

 **0000**

 **Sylveon's eyes were wide. "It is way worse than being beaten half to death for five minutes."**

 **0000**

"COME ON, FIGHT ME!" Mega Lucario shouted. "IT'S NO FUN IF I HAVE TO HIT YOU FIRST!"

"So, Mega Lucario's power is that she's a bitch all the time?" Umbreon asked.

"Probably an eternal menstruation thing. Arceus, that must suck," Shuckle said. "HEY LUCARIO! DO YOU NEED SOME TAMPONS?"

Mega Lucario snarled. "WATCH IT YOU LITTLE-actually that sounds good. DO YOU HAVE ANY ON YOU?"

"Um…hey beautiful. W-want to tangle with me?" Sylveon asked in a voice as husky as she could make it. Ivysaur was looking away, blushing furiously, but while Sylveon's blush was just as prominent, she was looking at Mega Lucario with sultry eyes.\

"…What is she doing?" Zorua asked.

"What IS she doing," Infernape asked, lost.

"What the hell is she doing?" Scrafty asked.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Mega Lucario asked.

Sylveon cringed, but steeled her nerves. "I wanted to tangle with you, honey. I love your….er…rock hard abs and those luscious locks of hair."

"What is she doing?" Umbreon asked.

Tepig snapped her fingers. "Oh, I get it. Lucario goes full butch when she megas. Sylveon's trying to seduce her."

"Don't you guys love how we bring up serious issues like suicide and closeted sexuality and just exploit them for comedy reasons?" Shuckle asked, rolling his eyes. "C'mon Lucario, just knock her off the damn log."

"NOBODY'S EVER COMPLIMENTED MY HAIR BEFORE!" Mega Lucario said, stroking the side of Sylveon's head. "LET'S MAKE OUT."

Sylveon turned around. "Okay Ivysaur, she's been distracted enough-"

Mega Lucario yanked Sylveon back by her ribbons and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Sylveon tried to break free, but Lucario's grip was far too strong.

"You know, I never would have guessed today would have gone this way," Umbreon remarked.

 **0000**

 **Sylveon blushed. "I kissed a girl and I did NOT like it."**

 **0000**

 **Lucario looked down, rubbing her arm. Her face was even redder then Sylveon. "I hate this fucking show."**

 **0000**

"Well, I guess it'll be decided by Ivysaur and Munchlax while the girls…er…settle their differences," Victini said.

"Ah, the most difficult challenge for any teenage boy," Slowking chuckled. "Ignore the two girls making out."

"Dude, that idea was genius," Munchlax said, wiping away a tear. "I think I love you."

Ivysaur blushed. "Well, I hadn't really planned on it going THIS far, but-"

They both blushed further, trying not to look at their partners.

"This….this is not easy," Munchlax whispered.

"I-I feel your pain, fellow pubescent child," Ivysaur said. "Let's just…. let's fight and get this over with."

Munchlax lunged forward, but Ivysaur managed to toss him aside with his vines. He balanced himself quick enough to dodge the subsequent razor leaf.

"Who do you think is gonna win?" Zorua asked Tepig.

Tepig narrowed his eyes into the binoculars. "Probably Lucario. She is leaving a LOT of hickeys…"

"NO, you dumbass!" Zorua snarled, snatching them away. "I meant Munchlax and Ivysaur!"

Munchlax gulped as he barely avoided a sleep powder. For a moment, he thought he was going to fall, but he caught himself at the last second. A single hit from a sleep powder would be an instant loss.

Ivysaur grinned, seemingly realizing this. "Sorry, dude. You're probably not winning this."

As Ivysaur focused another sleep powder, time slowed down. Munchlax had a single moment to think. Shuckle's strategies taught him that power wasn't really important if one used their resources. And if he could catch his opponent off guard….

Munchlax jumped off the log, praying that Mega Lucario wouldn't be dragged with him.

The handcuff yanked Lucario's arm, causing her to stumble and finally let go of Sylveon. Fortunately, her powerful new form had the balance and strength to remain on the log. Munchlax swung himself forward, using Lucario's strength to throw himself over the log like Scrafty had done before and aim for a still disoriented Sylveon with all his strength.

Sylveon eeped as Munchlax body slammed her, bowling them both over. Munchlax managed to latch onto the log with his claws, but Sylveon tumbled into the water below.

"Wait, how the heck did that happen," Ivysaur asked, confused, before realization dawned on his face. "OH SHIT-"

The handcuff yanked Ivysaur off and over the log, and he splashed into the water as well.

"I won? I WON!" Munchlax whooped, jumping up and down on the log.

"Munchlax….won?" Victini asked. "Okay…well, they're immune."

Lucario reverted to her normal form, clutching her head as Munchlax helped her off the log. "I can't believe I did that…"

Shuckle wheeled his wagon forward as Victini shot a finger blast to destroy the handcuffs. "Dude, that was awesome!"

"Thanks!" Munchlax said, running away as fast as his feet could carry him. "I'm just going to the bathroom I'll probably be there for a long time you might want to stock up on toilet paper, bye!"

 **0000**

 **Shuckle blinked. "I don't get it."**

 **0000**

 **Victini raised up the DVD. "Uncensored version on Pika-blu ray!"**

 **0000**

" **Ohhhhhhhh," Shuckle said, before his expression changed to disgust. "Gross."**

 **0000**

"Okay, we have our final four," Victini said, looking at Umbreon, Infernape, Ivysaur, and Sylveon. And while I'm tempted to give Sylveon immunity after that performance…"

"Bullshit!" Umbreon snapped.

"-that would be unfair, so I won't," Victini said, rolling his eyes. "You guys are going tobogganing down mount victory!"

"But Mount victory doesn't have any snow," Ivysaur said.  
"

Yep!" Victini said without elaborating. "Good news is that you guys don't have to wear handcuffs anymore!"

"YAY!" Infernape said, punching the air.

"BUT, the one who steers will have to be blindfolded," Victini finished.

Sylveon, Umbreon, and Ivysaur groaned.

"Er…nay?" Infernape said.

"The one behind them will be giving directions," Victini said. "Better not lead your partner into a trap!"

The four competitors gave each other uncomfortable looks.

"Do we have to do this?" Infernape asked, scratching his head. "Ivysaur's my best buddy here."

"Likewise for Umbreon," Sylveon said, chewing on her lip. "Can't we just do a voting ceremony?"

"Look, I've been going pretty easy on you after the merge," Victini snapped. "Without drama we're just a really shitty comedy, so just play along, alright?"

"Fine," the group said as one.

Victini looked at his watch. "To add a bit of a twist, I'm giving you two an hour of prep time. Immune contestants, you guys can help out the ones you want to win. Hariyama and I are gonna go add some delicious surprises to the course."

He floated off, leaving the two teams behind.

"Huh," Umbreon said. "Looks like our little duo is coming to an end."

Sylveon sighed. "Yeah. I-I won't hold back, though!"

"Good," Umbreon said with a smirk. "Neither will I. May the best eeveeloution win!"

 **0000**

 **Ivysaur sighed. "So much for our alliance. Without Donphan we really fell apart, huh."**

 **He straightened up. "At least one of us will be able to keep going. I still have hope that one of us can win!"**

 **0000**

"I suggest Umbreon be the one who steers," Slowking said, patting Infernape on the shoulder.

"Aww, I wanted to steer," Infernape whined.

"Infernape, you're pretty physically strong and athletic, but you're also a complete moron and I don't think you have the coordination to process my directions and actually apply them," Umbreon drawled.

"Thing is though, I'm not sure he knows right from left," Lucario remarked, biting her lip.

"Good point," Scrafty agreed.

"C-c'mon guys!" Infernape protested. "I know I'm not the sharpest crayon on the Christmas tree, but I'm not THAT extreme! I beat Bidoof!"

"Infernape, that's the equivalent of a Sunkern beating a Magikarp in a fight," Umbreon said. "Not really something worth praising."

"You two are going to have to learn to work together," Slowking said. "Sylveon and Ivysaur have shown remarkable teamwork due to their ability to work with others, and you won't stand a chance if you learn to trust each other."

"Sure, trust the guy that's about as intelligent as Mr. Pineapple," Umbreon said. "At least pineapples hurt if you throw them at someone. Hell, can I swap partners-?"

"Better an idiot then a selfish nihilistic jerk that somehow thinks she's worthy enough to put down others!" Infernape finally snapped, clenching his fists. "Queen Umbreon, everybody! If you aren't being a complete bitch then you're doing something wrong!"

Umbreon and the campers gaped at Infernape's sharp words, causing the monkey to blush.

"I-I…sorry, that just came out- " 

Umbreon smirked. "Don't apologize. That just made me respect you a bit more. Alright, I can work with this."

Infernape smiled shyly. "Oh! Well, uh, than-"

"But if you ever call me that again I'm going to rip off your fucking tail."

"N-noted."

Slowking nodded in relief. "Good to see you are willing. I don't want either of you to leave. I had some trust exercises planned to make you two thick as proverbial thieves."

"Okay," Infernape said. "Like what?"

Slowking grinned evilly.

 **0000**

" **First rule of Slowking's trust exercises," Infernape said, shivering. "DO NOT TALK ABOUT SLOWKING'S TRUST EXERCISES!"**

 **0000**

"You want me to steer?" Sylveon asked. "You think I handle it?"

"Absolutely," Shuckle said. "You have sensitive hearing, and those feelers to help you figure out what's going on. Plus, Ivysaur will have a tough time steering with those stumpy little feet of his."

"Gee thanks," Ivysaur muttered. "Do you really think we can handle this?"

"Absolutely," Charizard said without a hint of doubt. "You two are far better competitors then Umbreon and Infernape will ever be. To be honest, the only reason you're still here is because of some tough breaks." 

"Wow, Charizard!" Sylveon said, her eyes shining. "I didn't know you cared so much about us."

"Me neither," Gallade said in an exaggerated drawl. He was leaning against a tree, glaring at Charizard with his one eye.

Charizard blushed. "You two….you two are the only guys I still like left on the island. I mean, I like Infernape as well, but I can't stand Umbreon, so…yeah."

"Awwww," Sylveon said.

"Can it before I leave!" Charizard barked. "Gallade, I know we don't exactly see eye to eye-"

"Concealed jab, nice," Gallade muttered.

"But I think we can all work together to ensure Ivysaur and Sylveon make it," Charizard finished.

"Gallade, I promise I'll lay off on the uncalled-for accusations. While I'll remain suspicious, I have to admit to myself that I've been going too far. I hope we can be civil at the very least."

Gallade rolled his eye. "….whatever."

Charizard growled, but Ivysaur yanked on his arm with a vine. "Dude, don't blow it. That was a good step for you."

Charizard took a deep breath. "Thanks, but I'm not the one on the chopping block tonight. We should probably do a few practice rounds before attempting the real thing."

Ivysaur smiled at Sylveon. "Ready, partner?"

Sylveon smiled back shyly. "As long as I don't have to make out with Lucario again, I'm good."

 **0000**

 **Scrafty folded his arms. "Who even gives a shit on who's being eliminated? It's just cannon fodder all around. Not to mention that once one of the duos leave, there'll be eleven campers. I have ONE chance to get Munchlax out from here. Screw you, Zorua. Stop making me your bitch."**

 **0000**

" **Hi, I'm Scrafty," said Scrafty, who was making a stupid expression. "I spend all my time planning on the toilet because I have no friends. Man, I wish I was as cool as Zorua."**

 **0000**

Hariyama wiped off some sweat from his face as he finished setting up the finish line. "Oy, Hariyama sure feels out of shape. Been slacking ever since legendary battle against Mewtwo."

"Wait… you FOUGHT Mewtwo?" Lucario asked, sitting down in one of the chairs set up near the finish line.

"Oh, yeah!" Victini said. "Dude, the fight went on for seven days. It was incredible."

"How is he so strong?" Umbreon whispered.

Infernape chuckled. "I believe I explained my theory. Look, he's drinking from the hip flask right now!"

Hariyama started, quickly hiding his beverage. "That is completely unrelated."

Victini floated over to the two remaining teams. Umbreon and Sylveon were already blindfolded.

"Okay, guys. I'm gonna teleport you to the top of Mt. Victory. The first one to cross the finish line wins."

"You can win, Infernape," Slowking said calmly.

"Sylveon, kick their asses!" Charizard barked.

And with that, they teleported.

 **0000**

" **I actually don't know who is going to win this," Munchlax said in the confessional, notably out of toilet paper. "Jeez, this'll be close."**

 **0000**

Victini floated above both tobaggons as they pointed over the peak of the mountain. He held a checkered flag in the air. "You ready?"

Sylveon gritted her teeth, terrified but determined. "I'm good!"

Umbreon smirked. "Let's get this over with!"

"Woohoo! This'll be awesome!" Infernape cheered.

Ivysaur looked down fearfully. "A-actually I think I might be having second-"

"GO!" Victini shouted, and both toboggans slid down the mountain.

"Thooooooooooughts!"

 **0000**

 **Hariyama folded his arms. "Please disregard anything Infernape said. Old Hariyama can confirm that he is merely a normal Pokemon that happens to be powerful. Anything about Ho-Oh is myth."**

 **His eye twitched. "For sure."**

 **0000**

The two teams slid down, and Sylveon felt her heart crawl into her throat. Still, her feelers made it so she wasn't COMPLETELY blind…. completely being the operative word.

Ivysaur had his vines wrapped around her waist, and he peered over. "S-Sylveon, left!"

Sylveon nodded, steering left to narrowly avoid a tree on their past. Meanwhile, Umbreon and Infernape were a bit behind.

"Right!" Umbreon barked. Infernape steered left and they slammed into a tree.

"OW! Infernape, you said you knew right from left!"

"N-no I didn't! I just said I was smarter then you gave me credit for!"

"Well, WONDERFUL job, proving that!"

"Don't yell at me!"

 **0000**

" **One thing I like about how Umbreon and I work together is how constructive our dialogue is," Infernape said with a smile. "We really respect one another."**

 **0000**

"What was that?" Sylveon asked, looking behind her out of habit.

"Don't worry about it," Ivysaur said. "Just keep going forward. We're doing great!"

They slid by obstacles with ease, avoiding trees, rocks, minefields (Hariyama had some left over from the previous challenge), and even some rabid Ducklett.

Umbreon and Infernape weren't doing nearly as well. Infernape shouted another order that led Umbreon to slam into a rock, sending them spinning off.

"Okay, look! I'll just do the opposite of what you say!" Umbreon shouted. "Arceus forbid that you're EVER right!"

"O-okay! Turn left!"

Umbreon swerved to the right, easily dodging a tree. "See, is that so hard?"

0000

"Who's winning?" Munchlax asked Tepig as he looked through his binoculars, making greedy grabs for them.

Tepig elbowed the normal type in the stomach, knocking him down and giving him a clear view again. "Er…Sylveon and Ivysaur are in the lead, but Infernape and Umbreon just found their rhythm."

"Still, it won't matter HOW well they do if the gap between them is big enough," Slowking cursed. "They'll need a strategy if they even want a chance."

"What, a plan from Infernape?" Shuckle snorted. "Sure, and Pidgey will become a productive member of society."

"Yeah, they're screwed," Zorua admitted.

0000

"Alright! We're doing good!" Infernape shouted, punching the air.

"Are we in the lead?" Umbreon asked with a sharp edge in her tone.

"Er…..n-no…"

"Then we aren't doing good! We have to think of something quick, or we're BOTH off this island. Tell me about our surroundings."

"It's pretty nice. Nature, trees, beautiful plants, and there's a nice waterfall over to our left-"

"Right."

"-Right. So, it's pretty cool."

"Okay, Infernape, I'm heading for the waterfall."

"WHAT! We'll drown! And if my hair touches the water-"

Umbreon narrowed her eyes. "Do you trust me, Infernape?"

"I-yeah, sure, but…"

"Then clap your hands."

"Clap my hands?"

"CLAP YOUR HANDS IF YOU BELIEVE INFERNAPE!" Umbreon shouted, making a sharp turn and heading straight for the waterfall.

"I….okay…" Infernape said, clapping his hands hesitantly.

"Harder!" Umbreon shouted. "CLAP YOUR HANDS IF YOU BELIEVE!"

Infernape clapped his hands harder. "I-I believe!"

"HARDER!"

"I BELIEVE!"

"CLAP YOUR HANDS IF YOU BELIEVE!" Umbreon shouted as the toboggan touched the water.

Infernape nodded. "I'M CLAPPING MY HANDS! I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE!"

"THEN WE'RE GOOD….as long as toboggans float. Shit."

"WAIT, WHAT-?"

They went over the waterfall, Umbreon and Infernape clapping their hands and screaming at the same time. "

"Okay," Umbreon said, feeling like the wind was slapping her in the face. "Now, please float, please float, please float, please fl-"

SPLASH!

 **0000**

 **Tepig snickered. "This show sure brings out the best in people."**

 **0000**

"Sylveon, I see the finish line!" Ivysaur shouted, pointing out an unnecessary vine. "Just keep going!"

"Okay!" Sylveon said. Their toboggan built up speed as the finish line drew closer. Charizard grinned and Slowking swore.

"Wait…. what's that sound?" Sylveon asked, trying to focus her sensitive hearing. It sounded like….a motor?

Ivysaur blinked as Sylveon went pale. "What is it?"

"Do….do toboggans float?" Sylveon whispered.

"No….why would they-oh god."

Umbreon and Infernape shot down the river next to them at high speeds, Infernape pushing the toboggan forward at high speeds, creating a makeshift motorboat.

Infernape grinned as his feet splashed up water behind him. "KICKING SOLVES EVERY PROBLEM!"

"What's going on?" Sylveon asked.

"Speed up!" Ivysaur shouted, panicked. Both to toboggans shot towards the finish line, but Umbreon and Infernape were gaining on the group….

"How is this even possible?" Ivysaur shouted, glancing behind them.

"CUZ WE'RE MOTHERFUCKING TINKERBELL MOTHERFUCKER!" Umbreon shouted. "SUCK MY DICK!"

Infernape threw the toboggan through the air, Umbreon hanging on for dear life as it smashed into Ivysaur and Sylveon. Both toboggans shattered on impact as Umbreon rolled over the finish line.

"UMBREON AND INFERNAPE ARE THE WINNERS!" Victini shouted. "AND WIN THEIR IMMUNITY IN AN AMAZING COMBEBACK!"

Infernape sprinted over across the finish line, wrapping Umbreon and a tight hug as they both laughed hysterically at their victory. Slowking breathed a sigh of relief, high fiving Umbreon.

"As for our two losers," Victini said, pointing to a still disoriented Ivysaur and Sylveon. "You've been automatically eliminated. I'm sorry, but it's time for you to pack your bags and leave."

Infernape and Umbreon composed themselves, coughing awkwardly. Sylveon and Ivysaur looked at each other, before sharing a nod.

"It's all down to you, Infernape," Ivysaur said, shaking his hand with a vine.

Infernape frowned unhappily. "Ugh, this sucks! I didn't want you to leave either!"

Umbreon, on the other hand, wouldn't meet Sylveon's eyes. "Look…I'm sorry."

Sylveon raised an eyebrow. "Why are you apologizing? You deserve to keep going. Just keep trying to win for me, alright?"

Umbreon sighed. "You still have me wrapped around your little finger, huh. Fine kid, I promise to do my best."

"All I ask," Sylveon said with a wink. "I know you care more then you lead on."

"Don't know what you're talking about," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes.

"Hehe, okay," Sylveon said. She turned, and looked surprised at a conflicted Charizard.

"I….I know we know we didn't know each other well, but thanks," Charizard said awkwardly. "I'm mot exactly proud about some of my behavior, but you were the one that helped pull me out of it. You're not the same shy little girl I knew at the beginning of the show."

Sylveon made an eeping noise at the praise, turning a prominent red color. "I-I…"

Victini rolled his eyes, pushing her over to the confessional. "C'mon girl, we're on a limit. Ivysaur, anything you'd like to say?"

Ivysaur smiled. "Just that I have no regrets. And er…Gallade, I'll do my best to help with your…. situation."

Zorua threw Gallade a curious glance, but he merely ducked his head down and nodded.

"Thank you."

 **0000**

 **Ivysaur smiled. "Y'know, I really didn't care about winning. I just wanted a good experience, and I definitely got one. I just hope I proved myself beyond my dad's reputation."**

 **He shrugged. "Infernape, you're the last member of our alliance. I know you can win if you try."**

 **0000**

 **Sylveon narrowed her eyes. "Apparently I'm stuck with thirteenth place because my name comes after Ivysaur's. How is that fair?"**

 **She shook off her mild annoyance. "Anyway, I'm really hoping Umbreon wins. She's been a great mentor to me…even if her methods are a bit…sketchy. When I get home, I'm giving Audino a big hug."**

 **Her eyes went wide. "Oh jeez…I'm going to have to explain the Lucario situation with my parents, huh. That won't be fun."**

 **0000**

Scrafty was leaning on the porch of his cabin, having a quiet smoke. Umbreon walked over to him, and he was surprised to see her so low after her earlier excitement.

"Hey, can I have a cigarette?" She asked. Scrafty nodded wordlessly and taught her own. They both smoked for a little while, watching the sunset.

"You know...I actually thought she'd make it," Umbreon said as she took the cigarette away from her mouth. "I certainly thought she'd outlast me."

Scrafty shrugged. "You still going to try to win?"

Umbreon sighed. "May as well. Promised the stupid minx, didn't I?"

"Well, you have a lot of skill," Scrafty said, getting up and stretching. "I consider you a worthy opponent at the very least."

He got up and left, leaving Umbreon chuckling at his odd attempt to cheer her up.

She wondered if he was right. Personally, Umbreon never thought she'd had a chance at winning. She figured she'd be voted off as fodder or even a threat, but now she was in the top eleven. Did she really stand a chance?

Umbreon snickered. "Clap your hands if you believe, Umbreon."

She tossed her cigarette away and opened the door to the cabin. "Just clap your hands."

0000

Lucario threw strike after strike at a punching back, curbing her aggression by pounding on the stupid thing. Munchlax shouted out requests as he watched in awe.

"Pile driver!"

Lucario rolled her eyes, biting back the comment that she wasn't a wrestler. Still, she appeased the kid and pinned the punching back down.

"Okay," she said, backing up and grabbing a towel. "You want to spar, Munchlax?"

Munchlax's eyes went wide. "Wha-me?"

"I owe you an apology," Lucario said gruffly. "It was I that was the liability this challenge, not you. Hell, I used my mega evolution and we were STILL about to lose."

Munchlax rubbed his arm. "Um…well you kept Sylveon distracted."

Lucario rolled her eyes. "If you were anyone else I would have laid you flat for that one. But still. I've been treating you like baggage when you clearly outdid me today. I figure you deserve a sparring match more than anybody."

Munchlax jumped up. "Okay! Um…could you maybe teach me some moves along the way?"

Lucario cracked her knuckles. "Only if you teach me that pulverizing pancake move, first." 

Munchlax smiled. "Deal."

0000

"Welp, another successful day," Victini said. "I'm going to bed."

"Hariyama will feed young campers," Hariyama said. "Stay frosty!"

Hariyama walked across the campgrounds, before glancing left and right. He ducked behind one of the cabins and pulled out his hip flask.

"They must never know," Hariyama said, opening the flask and eyeing the rainbow liquid inside. He drank it down, glowing with a rainbow aura as he did so.

"That kind of knowledge is dangerous to mortals."

0000

Another chapter is done! Hope you enjoyed it, guys! 

I didn't enjoy this as much as the last two chapters, but I still think it's pretty solid. Lucario FINALLY got some focus (I was struggling for a bit with her character) and her mega form is revealed.

While I personally see Lucario as a closeted lesbian trying to come to terms with her sexuality, her mega form is a total butch stereotype. Shit, I hope I didn't offend anyone with that part.

While I'm sure Umbreon fans (I'd say Infernape fans too, but I doubt they exist) will rejoice that she's made it through another round, we've lost Sylveon and Ivysaur in the process.

From what I've seen, those two were the characters that received the most predictions to win. Unfortunately for them, I don't play that way.

While Ivysaur is loved by the fanbase, Sylveon is probably the most polarizing character. Fans either seem to love her or hate her, and though I think some of the hate is overblown, I won't deny that I'm a bit relieved she's gone, if only to escape the constant demands to kick her out.

That being said, I'd like to give a big thanks to Eclipsed Night Umbreon, who submitted her OC. I usually don't address the OC submitters in the author's notes, but you're the only one who's consistently stuck around and reviewed after sending in one for the first season. (okay, maycontestdrew kinda has too, but you've been around even longer.)

Hope you don't hate me after forcing your OC to make out with a girl and then leave in the same episode.

Jeez…. Fuzzboy must be having a party in his head right now.

Ivysaur: Review's don't cost anything, so send one in!

Sylveon: *blushes*. R-review!


	27. Chapter 27: Crossovers in Alola!

0000

"Hariyama thinks young Victini is in need of the chilling," Hariyama said, folding his arms.

"Chill!? Three legendary Pokemon are dead. I don't want to get assassinated, man!"

Victini had turned his personal cabin into a bunker, complete with pillows decorating the walls. Victini himself was wearing a bike helmet, football shoulder pads, and he was brandishing a hockey stick.

"Where did you get sports equipment?" Hariyama asked, puzzled. "You've always hated physical activity and sports."

"Who would do it, though?" Victini asked himself. "It was probably Darkrai or Ho-Oh or something to be completely honest."

"Well, did murders even happen in our timeline?" Hariyama asked.

Victini gulped. "Uhhhhh…"

Hariyama sighed. "Young Victini is paranoid. He needs vacation."

"Yeah….maybe I'll check out Alola," Victini mused. His face paled. "SHIT THAT'S TODAY, ISN'T IT!"

"What is?" Hariyama asked, but Victini had already flown out of the cabin, dropping his equipment as he flew.

Hariyama chuckled as he flew away. "He deserves credit for determination."

0000

Slowking was sitting at the bottom of the lake, coincidentally the same place he had hidden during that Hariyama hunting frenzy. While he liked most of the competitors fine, he liked to spend time quietly reflecting in the coolness of the deep blue sea.

 _Probably the water typing that made me like this,_ Slowking thought to himself. He was contemplating over the question that had occasionally intruded on his thoughts; now more often than usual now that the numbers were so thin.

Why was he here?

Looking back, his existence as a Slowpoke was horrible. He couldn't think well, love well, or even feel well. All he could do was sleep, and that was when the dreams set in. Dreams that told him he could be something he didn't even have the capacity to understand. In a way, they were nightmares, though he hadn't realized at the time. Feelings without a source, that description defined his life before the show.

And suddenly, out of nowhere, he was blessed with self-awareness. At first it was Shellder that acted as a separate guide, influencing him and teaching him about the world he had never gotten a chance to experience. But over time, the little voice from Shellder waned and disappeared. Shellder had become a part of him, and now he understood everything.

But, at the same time, he understood nothing.

He tried to say something out loud, forgetting he was underwater for a moment. A flood of bubbles merely escaped his mouth.

Other than Shellder's guidance, he had never been truly raised. He had nothing to look up to, and in all honesty, the only world he knew was the show.. He had a brain, but it was a brain without direction or purpose. He was static.

He wiped away a tear, a tear he wasn't sure existed at the bottom of the lake.

At the very least, he could try to win the competition. He certainly needed to start taking a more active role in the show. He had played very passively compared to the likes of Charizard, Zorua, and Scrafty. He was considered a threat, and he couldn't get by on mere luck anymore.

When his eyes opened, they gave off the expression of cold determination.. It was time to start playing hardball. If this show was all he knew of the world, then he'd damn well win the show.

0000

"So, you think Lucario will be on board with voting for Scrafty?" Shuckle asked Munchlax, who was gobbling food like a man starving with hunger.

Munchlax gulped it down. "I mean…er…sure. Do we have to go for Scrafty this time, though?"

"I just want him out already!" Shuckle said. "Do we need to have another conversation about how dangerous he is, or how he's personally orchestrated the eliminations of our dear friends?"

"No," Munchlax said glumly.

"Good," Shuckle said. "Besides, who would you want to vote for, anyway?"

Munchlax thought for a moment. "Charizard, maybe? Or Zorua, she got Plusle out, remember?"

"Good point," Shuckle admitted. "Charizard's just a grouch, though."

"Relax, guys," Scrafty said, sliding next to them. "I wanna call a truce, just for this challenge. We have to take Zorua down."

"Okay," Munchlax said happily.

"No!" Shuckle snapped. "No, no, no-"

"Okay, Shuckle, I know you have a huge hate boner for me, but just hear me out," Scrafty said. "We can all get into the top ten together if we just focus on another threat. Besides, you two outnumber me, so you'll beat me if I end up trying to betray you."

Shuckle narrowed his eyes. "You can't expect me to trust you."

"Believe me, the feeling is mutual," Scrafty sneered. "But Munchlax is my friend."

"I am?" Munchlax asked, overjoyed.

"He is?" Shuckle asked skeptically.

"Well, I kinda don't have a choice now, do I?" Scrafty muttered. "He won't leave me alone. Arceus, Shuckle, how much of an asshole do you think I really am?"

"A pretty big one," Shuckle snapped. "Why Zorua specifically anyway?"

"She's worse than me!" Scrafty said. "Remember when Minccino exposed her in front of everybody for nearly killing Gallade? Plus she has that super overpowered ability to take the form of anybody in the cast? Hell, she could be one of us right now!"

Munchlax and Shuckle exchanged a glance, Munchlax sliding a little away from the mold Pokemon. "Uh…dude, remind me to never accept a drink from you."

"Zorua's reformed, though," Shuckle said, ignoring his friend. "Ampharos helped her become a better person."

"Can you prove it?" Scrafty asked, smirking at Shuckle's blunder. "She could just be doing a fantastic job manipulating us. And if you believe she has the capacity to be a good feeling, why not me? After all, considering how she took out Zorua, I'd say I've done a lot less against you."

"He has a point," Munchlax piped up. Shuckle scowled at him.

Shuckle took a deep breath, finally relenting. "Fine. One challenge we'll work together. One. Then I'm making sure you leave."

"Eh, make it two," Scrafty said with a shrug. "I want Slowking out just as much as Zorua."

"God dammit-FINE!" Shuckle snapped. "Anything else you want?"

"I'm good," Scrafty snickered. "Have a good breakfast!"

Shuckle spent the rest of the meal brooding and muttering to himself, refusing to meet Munchlax's eyes.

 **0000**

" **Bastard has me pegged," Shuckle growled. "He's making it so I can't disagree with any of his points, making me seem completely unreasonable to Munchlax. Dear lord, it was so much easier when the alliance DIDN'T want to suck Scrafty's dick."**

 **0000**

"Hey, Tepig, am I a good person?" Zorua asked. They were playing air hockey, a game that Zorua had always been pretty good at. Tepig was beginning to get annoyed at the score and was subconsciously releasing smoke from his nostrils.

"Pssh, you're asking me?" Tepig asked. "The prodigal asshole? If I'm the scale, then you're a bloody saint."

"Oh you're not THAT bad," Zorua said, rolling her eyes. "Sometimes I can even tolerate you."

"My dear Zorua, would that happen to be a compliment?" Tepig asked in mock surprise.

"Don't let it go to your head, dumbass," Zorua said with a smirk. "I have reasons to keep you around."

"Probably my rugged good looks."

"Eh, more so the sexy accent."

"For the love of Arceus!" Charizard said, finally snapping over from where he was playing go fish with Mr. Pineapple. "Can you two stop flirting? You both are in committed relationships, remember? I can understand this from Tepig, but what the hell, Zorua?"

Zorua narrowed her eyes. Since when did Charizard pretend he had respect for her? "Eh. It's more fun when you realize he's harmless, barring himself sometimes. On that note, Tepig, those bruises from Gallade look terrible. Why won't you get them patched up?"

Tepig snorted. "Okay, one, Alomomola is the nurse and she got glitter into Infernape's bloodstream when he went in for a checkup. Two, don't change the subject, why did you ask me if I think you're good person?"

"That question's been floating around a lot lately," Zorua said. "I WANT to be seen as a good person, but I feel like I haven't gotten enough practice."

Tepig was distracted a moment by being deep in thoughts, allowing Zorua to score another point. He didn't even notice.

"I suppose…I've never seen stuff as good or bad, y'know?" Tepig said after a moment of hesitation. "I've always seen it as…being real or fake."

"Elaborate on that?" Zorua asked.

"Like…there are Pokemon that don't accept who they are, right?" Tepig said. "They try to hide behind masks like Carbink, Gallade, and Charizard-"

"Watch it," Charizard growled.

"Watch yourself," Tepig said lazily. "I don't like masks. The one's who have that honesty, I consider 'good.' Like Infernape, Umbreon, Munchlax, Ivysaur. They're the ones that get it."

"But what about me?" Zorua asked. "Do I-am I-?"

"The trouble with Zoruas is that they're the ones that are best at creating illusions," Tepig said. "So, I can't tell you with certainty."

"Oh…" Zorua said, looking down.

"BUT," Tepig said, seeing her downcast expression. "The fact that you're asking…I think that's the best way to start."

Zorua brightened up a this, but Tepig groaned. "Urgh, I'm not used to being this sappy. I'm going to go fool around with Gallade some more."

"….Do you wanna rephrase that?" Zorua asked with a giggle.

"Nah, I'd like to keep it ambiguous," Tepig said, getting up and leaving. "Also, I'm not acknowledging the fact you beat me 12-2 in air hockey. Goodbye."

Zorua shook her head and smiled as he left. "Asshole."

 **0000**

 **Charizard was rubbing his arm, and his teeth were gritted. "I'm getting angrier again. Sylveon's departure just keeps getting to me and-"**

 **He took a deep breath. "No. Stay calm. Nothing on this island is worth getting so worked about. Why is this happening now?"**

 **0000**

"Is fishing supposed to be this BORING?" Infernape whined, trying to force himself to remain sitting. Gallade fought off the urge to snap a reply, having grown sick of the monkey's hyperactive nature.

With Infernape the only friend he had managed to make left on the damn island, Gallade had spent most of the last few days hanging out with him and Slowking. While he had been enjoying himself, he could go without Infernape's whininess.

"Fishing is all about patience," Gallade said, his single eye fixed on the water below. "They'll come eventually. Or they won't. But that's where the difficulty lies. The ability to have good timing."

"Oh. Can we do something else?" Infernape asked.

Gallade rolled his eyes. "Sure." They got up and stared at each other. Gallade couldn't help but feel a little awkward. They couldn't be anymore different, and that really slowed down conversations.

Fortunately, a forced conversation was averted by Slowking, who burst out of the water and terrified Infernape, who leaped backwards with a scream.

"I swear I have no idea how you got this far into the game," Gallade said as Infernape hid behind a tree. He looked at Slowking, who was shaking off water droplets. "Where've you been?"

"Just….battling the thoughts in my head a bit," Slowking said. Gallade could tell from his book that the psychic type was being vague on purpose. "According to Victini, we have a challenge over by the dock."

"How would YOU know that?" Gallade asked. "You were underwater, and I certainly didn't hear anything."

"Oh, I read Victini's mind this morning," Slowking explained. "You would not believe how easy it was. That legendary is very mentally unstable."

"We'd better go then," Gallade muttered. "Infernape, get your skinny butt over here!"

0000

When they arrived at the dock, they noticed Victini staring at his watch impatiently while muttering to himself.

"Great," Umbreon drawled. "He's in one of his moods."

"Where the hell is Lucario? If we don't hurry we're going to miss the flight!" Victini shouted.

Lucario came up from behind the fox. "I'm right here. What the hell are you talking about?"

Victini shrieked and jumped six feet in the ear. "Don't DO that! I have sensitive ears!"

"Where are we going this time?" Charizard asked, trying his best to not sound like his usual grumpy self.

"Alola!" Victini said, sounding excited and nervous at the same time. "Our challenge will be there, but we're also going for a special purpose!"

"….Which is?" Slowking asked.

"After the elimination today, we'll be down to our TOP TEN PLAYERS! Isn't that awesome?"

"Wooohoo!" Infernape cheered. "I made it to the top 10!?"

"Almost, Infernape," Victini said. "As a reward, I'm letting everyone in the top ten relax in Alola for a week."

Infernape whooped again, and Slowking couldn't help but smile. He really had enjoyed himself when he and Infernape spent the day there.

In fact, most of the Pokemon looked excited, though now they were beginning to grow anxious at the thought of getting eliminated eleventh…

"Our destination is Akala island!" Victini said. "We'd better catch the plane!"

"Why can't you just teleport us?" Zorua asked. "It would be easier and also less money."

"C'mon, Zorua! Where's your sense of whimsy?" Victini said, his eyes shining. "We're gonna get the full vacation experience! Now go get packing!"

"Oh no," Shuckle said. "Never again. I'm not going ANYWHERE near a plane after what happened in the fear challenge."

Victini grinned evilly. "I thought you might say that….."

0000

The campers were dragging their luggage across the airport. Hariyama was carrying one that shook and moaned.

"Young Shuckle will run out of air that way, yes?" Hariyama said. "Better to conserve oxygen."

"Good thing Donphan isn't here, right?" Munchlax said with a giggle. "His sword would have gotten us busted with the metal detectors.

Infernape sniffed. "I miss Donphan."

"Okay, is everyone here?" Victini asked. "Cuz anyone left behind is automatically eliminated!"

"Where's Shuckle?" Lucario asked. "Because I can sense his aura, but I don't see him anywhere."

Hariyama picked up the still moving bag. "Here. He needed some peace and quiet."

"MMMMPH! MMMMPH!"

"Seems fair," Infernape said. "Let's go!"

The campers boarded a plane that had been cleared of its passengers, much to their disgust. As they began to board, Slowking nudged Lucario.

"Funny how nobody recognizes us. Are we really so obscure a show?"

"Quiet!" Victini snapped. "I am a legendary Pokemon! Everyone knows me!"

Hariyama chuckled. "Well, with identification expired-"

"Harry, I will SMITE you!" Victini growled.

"Not legally."

The campers rolled their eyes as they listened to Victini bluster until the plane was flying.

0000

"Whoa! We're so far up!" Infernape said, looking down at the water below him with awe. Slowking was asleep in his sea next to him, wearing a purple eye mask.

Umbreon glanced behind her. "Haven't you ever been in a plane before?"

"Sure, but it's so exciting every time I try! Flying types are so lucky!"

Umbreon shook her head and settled down in her own seat. "I'm envious of your eternal optimism."

"Do you think Shuckle is okay?" Munchlax asked. "He has to be pretty lonely in the cargo hold."

"Aren't you not supposed to be playing electronic devices while we're flying?" Lucario asked, an eyebrow raised.

Munchlax had his computer on his lap, a 3ds that he was currently playing, and was wearing earphones as he listened to music on his cell phone. "Pssh nobody follows that rule."

"Ever been to Alola before?" Gallade asked Zorua awkwardly in an attempt to make small talk.

Zorua glared at him.

"That's fair."

"Anyone wanna go with me on a stealth mission to steal the good stuff from first class?" Munchlax offered, taking off his headphones.

Umbreon smirked. "Bitchin'. I call Victini's head pillow."

"I'm going to go mosey along the cockpit," Tepig said, getting up after them. "I promise I won't touch anything."

Three minutes later and the plane took a nosedive.

 **0000**

 **Scrafty shivered. "You know, my life flashed before my eyes, and I have to say? I had WAY too many soliloquies."**

 **0000**

"Tepig, it astounds me that you haven't been arrested yet," Slowking muttered, half annoyed, half impressed. The campers had only been saved because Hariyama had leaped out of the plane and caught it before it hit the ground. Victini had recorded it for the show because it was "badass", but Shuckle had accidentally destroyed it in his terror.

Now the cast was forced to walk to the Tide Song Hotel, which was about ten miles away from the airport. Needless to say, many cold glares were casted at Tepig's direction.

Of course, Infernape was the only one who seemed to be in good spirits. The punch-happy monkey was running around, taking pictures with his disposable camera.

"C'mon guys, this is so exciting! Alola's the best vacation spot in the world!" He crowed.

"Yeah, but we're here to do a CHALLENGE!" Zorua groaned. "Not like we'll actually have time to enjoy it."

"Actually, you will!" Victini said. "After today's challenge, the top ten will get a full week of relaxation here. Consider it a reward for being the cream of the crop."

"Wait, but then what happens to the sorry sucker that gets eleventh?" Scrafty asked.

"Ooh, sucks to be them," Victini said, wincing. "They have to miss out."

"None of you assholes better vote for me," Umbreon grumbled. "I really need some R and R right now."

"Don't worry, we have someone else in mind," Lucario said, glaring at Tepig. Tepig stuck out his tongue at her.

"We're here," Gallade said, pointing to the fancy hotel up ahead. "About time."

"Wow! Time sure flies when you don't have to walk!" Victini exclaimed. "Anybody excited to meet the other cast?" 

"Yes!" Infernape cheered.

"No," Gallade snapped.

Everyone else's reactions were somewhere in between.

"Oh stop being such downers," Victini said, rolling his eyes. "This'll be fun!"

"Fun for the hosts, maybe," Umbreon drawled. "I wonder if they're anything like us?"

"Well, Hariyama told me there are only six of them," Slowking said with a yawn. "Shouldn't be too hard to handle."

"Hey, I think Victini's calling us over!" Munchlax pointed. "Wow, the other legends are way bigger than he is."

"Well, shall we go?" Lucario asked with a bit of trepidation.

"Only if you go ahead of me," Zorua snapped. "You're going to be my meat shield if the lion decides to light us on fire."

"Not every lion is a fire type, Zorua," Tepig snorted. "Fuckin' racist."

"Just, let's go ahead already?" Charizard said, rolling his eyes. "I'm really sick of the infighting."

"He's right," Slowking said. "No more bickering. We'd be wise not to make a legendary Pokemon wait."

 **0000**

" **The other cast is certainly quirkier than us," Shuckle admitted. "Tsareena is a total dunce, and Dhelmise is like Ninjask, but Lycanroc and Incineroar seem cool. Oh! And Pyukumuku is totally a candidate for Team Eviolite's revival!"**

 **0000**

" **Er….Shuckle KNOWS the crossover is only temporary, right?" Munchlax asked, rubbing his head sheepishly.**

 **0000**

Victini glanced ahead into the hotel. "Uh...why is your cast glaring at me? Is this what culture shock feels like?"

"Nah mate, you're just ugly," Tepig said, walking forward with the rest of the cast. "Wonderful. More legendaries."

"Wonderful, more contestants," Solgaleo retorted. Despite his large frame and intimidating appearance, he didn't seem to bother to use them to his advantage. "And there are...eleven of you. Interesting number, I suppose."

"Well, twelve, if you count-"

"We don't count MR. PINEAPPLE, Tepig!" Victini snarled. "Sorry about Tepig. Ignore him and he'll probably leave you alone."

"Oh, don't you mind. We have our very own 'Tepig' in the hotel right now," Lunala said. "He's actually worse. A LOT worse."

"Blasphemy," Tepig hissed.

"Hey, anyone who's not Tepig, want to introduce yourself?" Victini shouted, interrupting the snarky pig before he could continue his rambles. "How many contestants do you have left, Solgaleo?"

"Six," the lion responded.

"Ahh. Final stretch, is it?" Hariyama said with a chuckle. "Looking forward to making with the meeting of them."

"Well, you may enjoy some more than others, so…" Lunala remarked. "You may take that back."

"Hariyama has spent many millennia-ER decades! Decades spent with little shits. Nothing I can't handle."

"If you insist," Solgaleo shrugged. "Come on in."

The Sunne and Moone Pokemon headed back to the hotel doors, with the lion holding the door open for them all.

"Anyone else feel like this is building up for a horror movie?" Shuckle said nervously. "Just me?...Okay."

0000

Upon arrival, they were met by six Pokemon with suspicious expressions.

"Well, lookie at what we have here," a Dhelmise snarked. "Eleven little losers from another shitty show."

"Was the bit about us being losers really necessary?" Zorua asked, rolling her eyes.

"That's Dhelmise," Lunala introduced. "Like we said, worse than your Tepig…"

"Well of course, he's an ugly ass living anchor," Tepig snorted. "What else can he do with his life? Doesn't seem to have the limbs necessary to do most jobs."

"Okay, two things," Dhelmise started. "One. I'm fucking _seaweed_ , and I'm also a _ghost_ , so my lack of limbs isn't a hindrance at all on my life. I could still fuck your bitch. And two, you're literally part of a balanced breakfast. We've eaten a lot of your kind here in our great hotel, so you have literally no room to talk down to anyone. Especially when you sound like a bootleg British snob."

Tepig grinned. "Ohohoho. I'm getting back at you for that, you magnificent green bastard."

"We'll see about that," Dhelmise replied.

"Hey, douchebag bonding, how pleasant," a Hakamo-o commented, rolling her eyes as she folded her arms.

"Wonderful, there's two of them now," Zorua muttered. "Least Ninjask's gone."

"You know, I'm actually offended that MY assholery wasn't mentioned," Umbreon grumbled. "I am also a registered douchebag, and I demand to be treated as such."

"Yeah, no. You're the second-place Eeveelution cum dumpster, second to only Flareon, of course," Dhelmise replied. "That status of your species completely overshadows your individual personality."

"Sorry 'bout that, sheila," Tepig said in a mock sympathetic tone. "Biological makeup screwed you over."

"Hey! If you three will stop flirting, I was wondering if there were any unassuming, small Pokemon that stay under the radar?" Munchlax piped up. "Cuz if there are, you're among friends."

"Oh, well he's not necessarily under the radar," a Lycanroc started, looking down beside herself before kneeling down and picking him up. "But, we have Pyukumuku."

"Hello", the Sea Cucumber Pokemon chirped, waving a hand.

"Join our merry band of pirates!" Munchlax shouted, gesturing to Shuckle, who groaned in response.

"Uh… Okay, I guess," Pyukumuku responded.

"I can just tell you now that doing that isn't going to go well for you," Hakamo-o explained, eyeing Pyukumuku hesitantly.

"We're not selective!" Munchlax said.

"Apparently, not, given the Scrafty situation," Shuckle deadpanned.

"-So you should join us too!" Munchlax said to Hakamo-o hopefully.

"Uh, no thanks. I'd rather stick to my guns," Hakamo-o replied, folding her arms. "No offense, but I doubt either of you will make it further than this."

"Haka!" Lycanroc scolded, hands on her hips.

"Hey, it's common sense!" Hakamo-o replied. "People trying to stay under the radar hardly ever win these shows anymore. It's a useless strategy."

"NOBODY CALLS MY STRATEGIES USELESS!" Shuckle shouted. "I'LL KILL HER!"

"Dude, calm down," Munchlax whispered.

"I AM VERY SORRY, BUT I'VE BEEN COOPED UP ON THAT PLANE TOO LONG!" Shuckle shouted. "I need to get the screaming out of my system!"

"So, are we going to move on to the challenge or are we just gonna keep standing around and listen to these guys?" an Incineroar inquired.

"Well, we're gonna offer you guys a bit of a grace period to get to know each other and let Victini's contestants get a breather considering their near-death experience," Lunala explained, eyeing the thirteen visitors thoughtfully.

Incineroar sighed. "Fine," he groaned.

"Sweet!" shouted Infernape, who had been dying to insert himself into the conversation. "Can we get a tour?"

"Here's your tour," Dhelmise started. "This is the lobby. Second floor is for food. The third through sixth floors are our rooms, and the seventh floor is the recreation floor. There."

"Seems reasonable!" Infernape said.

"Wow, actual organization?" Slowking asked. "Victini, you could learn a thing or two."

"Can it, Sleeping Beauty," Victini growled.

"So, it's... 11:24 right now," Solgaleo noted, looking at the clock. He turned his attention back to Victini's cast. "We usually start the challenges around 10, but since you guys got here unconventionally, we're gonna just leave you all together and you'll just deal with each other until noon. That's when we'll start the challenges."

"Oh come on!" Hakamo-o roared. She just wanted to get the challenges over with; Shaymin's crossover really soured her opinion of these publicity stunts.

"Deal with it," Lunala retorted. "Victini, Hariyama, you're welcome to come to the hall with us while they interact and such."

"Uh...sure," Victini said. "Enjoy yourselves in the meantime, guys!"

The three hosts and Hariyama teleported out of the hotel in an instant, leaving the seventeen contestants alone in the lobby, exchanging unsure glances about what to do next.

"How's the show for you guys?" Lucario asked. "Fun? Because in our case…"

"It's pretty much the same mind-numbing, painstaking drivel that we all have to deal with," Dhelmise explained.

"But, on the bright side, we get good food, television, actual beds, and a place to play games and lift weights…" Lycanroc chirped.

"Eh, come to think of it, we don't have it too bad either," Scrafty admitted. "Besides the island's general crappiness, at least we're actually getting good food now."

"Cool," Pyukumuku replied.

The two groups continued standing around in silence.

"So, what games you guys got?" Munchlax asked, trying to break the ice.

"I'd like to get a workout in, if anyone wants to show me where I can find it. Anyone want to be my sparring partner?" Lucario asked. "I'd ask Infernape, but I think the continuous blows to the head might start to become a threat to his already limited brain cells."

"Hey, then he'll be perfect with this ditz," Dhelmise said, pushing a Tsareena toward the chimp, who started blushing slightly.

"Uh...h-hi," he greeted.

Tsareena blinked in response. "What's hi?"

"See what I mean?" Dhelmise drawled.

"Incineroar and I can show you to the workout room, Lucario," Lycanroc replied, answering the jackal's question. "And I'm sure Hakamo-o would love be your sparring partner. Right, Haka?"

"Love… Might be an understatement," Hakamo-o replied, passing Lucario a competitive smirk.

"Careful, she's a raging dyke," Umbreon warned. "Not sure if you want to get….intimate with someone like her."

"I will Aura Sphere you to oblivion," Lucario growled, hands covering her eyes in embarrassment.

"Oh there's no problem with gays here," Dhelmise chimed in. "We've got a raging fag right here," he said, gesturing to Incineroar, who twitched.

The tiger growled savagely, clenching his fists. "I WILL RIP YOU OFF OF THAT DAMNED ANCHOR AND IMMOLATE YOU TO SHIINOTIC'S GOD!"

"See what I mean?" Dhelmise replied.

Incineroar was prepared to fulfill his threat, but Lycanroc held him back. "Okay, uh… Lucario, why don't you just come with us?" the wolf asked, still trying to prevent her friend from harming Dhelmise.

"Uh… sure," the jackal replied tentatively.

Hakamo-o started heading to the elevators, with Lycanroc hopping onto Incineroar's back before following her. Lucario was still hiding a partial blush due to Umbreon's comment, but followed the three of them.

"Don't drop the soap!" Dhelmise called.

"Fuck off!" Hakamo-o retorted, glaring at him as the elevator doors closed.

Once the four of them were gone, the room filled with silence. Munchlax spoke up once again.

"So, is no one going to answer my question?" the bear inquired. "What games do you guys have?"

"Well, we've got stuff like GTA, Halo, Call of Duty, Mario Kart…" Pyukumuku started.

"W-wow," Munchlax said, drooling a little. "We had like….nothing back at our camp. Do you know how boring Wii Sports gets after a while?"

"This place is the first time I've ever played a video game," Pyukumuku said with the same cheeriness in his voice. "Well, the ones that they've got here anyway. And there's no Wii…"

"Wait, how do you play games with one hand?" Shuckle asked.

"Oh, I haven't played that much lately, but I just leave it on the ground and press buttons," Pyukumuku explained, giving a thumbs up.

"I'd respond in kind, but uh….noodle arms," Shuckle said sheepishly.

"So can we go?" Munchlax asked, his eyes wide.

" _Please_ ," Dhelmise insisted. "Being around people like you annoy the hell out of me. Pyukumuku is okay, but two more losers is just… ugh."

"I'll take you guys," Pyukumuku said, hopping toward the elevators. Munchlax and Shuckle glared at Dhelmise for a few seconds before following the sea cucumber to the elevators.

Once the three of them left, Dhelmise floated to the sitting area and groaned. Tepig and Umbreon exchanged glances before deciding to head toward him, leaving Tsareena alone with Infernape, Slowking, Zorua, Gallade, and Charizard.

"Guys, I think Tsareena is actually like, REALLY smart!" Infernape said, giving her a look of awe.

"What's smart?" Tsareena replied, tilting her head in confusion.

"Whoa, and she's so contemplative," Infernape whispered. "It's like she's so smart she isn't smart, right?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Slowking asked, mystified.

"She's so philosophical!" Infernape said. "She can barely even stand in her enlightenment!"

"I….suppose there's no way one could truly be THAT dumb," Slowking said hesitantly. "What do you have to say to that, Tsareena?"

"I like soup," she replied.

"Oh my God! Soup is like, your favorite thing!" Infernape yelped. "Coincidence, I think not!"

Tsareena blinked in response.

"Stop wasting your time over there!" Dhelmise bellowed from the side. "She's a complete dunce. Asking questions or talking doesn't do shit for her! She'll just stare at you."

"Well did you try staring back?" Infernape shouted back, before staring deep into her eyes.

"I'm not dealing with this, someone feed me," Zorua groaned.

"You should've gone with the three stooges, they're the only ones who'd give a damn," Dhelmise yelled. "Plus, like I said, it's on the second floor."

"Eh, whatever, I'll go with you," Charizard said with a shrug. "I'm always hungry after plane rides."

Slowking raised a hand. "Is there anywhere I could lie my head down? I have narcoleptic issues."

"I call bullshit, but there's beanbag chairs on the seventh floor where the other idiots are," Dhelmise explained. "Or, you could ask Pyukumuku when you get up there. He'll let you sleep in his room."

Slowking teleported away.

"D-did you know he could do that?" Zorua asked Gallade. "Wait, you're a psychic. Can YOU do that?"

"I've never tried," Gallade admitted. Zorua shrugged and left with Charizard, leaving Tsareena and Infernape staring at each other.

"So, uh...do you want to do something, Infernape?" Gallade asked.

"I am doing something," Infernape whispered, continuing to stare at Tsareena deeply.

"Okay…." Gallade sighed. "Dammit, what am I supposed to do? Being antisocial sucks."

 **0000**

" **I managed to snatch something off Dhelmise," Scrafty said, grinning and leaning back. "Some list of jokes or whatever. Hid them in a place he'll be hard pressed to ever find. Hopefully, this'll cause drama between the other cast and give me an edge for the challenge."**

 **0000**

"Any particular reason you two are still here?" Dhelmise questioned, as Tepig and Umbreon were sitting in front of him. "I've told you about the hotel, so why don't you skedaddle?"

"Because being annoying on purpose is fun?" Tepig asked with an innocent smile.

"I uh...actually had a question that I kinda wanted to keep...er...under the radar…" Umbreon said, looking back and forth. "You're a grass type, right?"

"Yeah?" the seaweed responded.

"I was wondering if you had access to-er…..you know," Umbreon stammered. "Stuff?"

"What do I look like? The neighborhood dope dealer?" Dhelmise inquired. "I don't do that trash and I don't know why anyone with a functioning brain _would_."

"Psshh, Umbreon with a functioning brain?" Tepig asked. Umbreon punched him in the stomach, causing him to squeal.

"Look dude, that plane ride was stressful as shit. Do you know anyone that might know then?" Umbreon asked.

"Well, if Shiinotic was still here, he could probably hook you up," Dhelmise replied. "Though, he'd probably ask for your internal organs as payment. That bastard was on _something_ , but we don't know what."

"He sounds like a fun guy!" Tepig snickered.

"Okay, Tepig, do you have anything to add to this?" Umbreon snapped. "Ugghhh, I'd totally give a lung for some weed right now."

"I hope you realize that I'm talking about almost everything, right?" Dhelmise questioned. "Intestines, heart, brain, tongue, stomach…"

"Wait, does that work for other people? I wouldn't mind removing some of Charizard's organs," Umbreon said evilly.

"SO," Tepig said, on a desperate track to change the conversation. "What do you do for fun, Dhelmise?"

"What fun do you think exists here for me?" Dhelmise inquired. "I eat, sleep, plan, and piss these dumbasses off whenever I feel like it. They get upset so quick that it's almost too easy. I don't do video games or work out like the others, and when we go to the beach, I either sink or watch them. The only thing that could _maybe_ be called fun is pissing them off. What about you?"

"I do everything, mate. Pissing off people's fun, though," Tepig admitted. "They DO make it way too easy, don't they? If only there was someone that could provide a satisfying challenge…."

"Fuck it, I'm going to see if I can find some organs in the refrigerator. You two have fun with your bromance or whatever," Umbreon said, turning around and walking away.

Dhelmise watched her go and scoffed. "Eh, I guess I can see why Umbreon get plowed into so much. Still not much to look at though. And I hope she realizes that Shiinotic is gone, so her quest for organs will be for jack shit."

"She won a beauty contest, if I remember right," Tepig said. "Ooh, you want dirt on her? Go for that point. She HATES it when people mention it."

"Thanks for the tip, pork chop," Dhelmise replied. "With your ragtag band of misfits, this'll be very fun for me…"

Tepig pulled out a data file with information on the entire cast. "Hell yeah, it will. Let's do a bit of secret sharing, shall we? Get this crossover done right!"

"I'll be honest, none of these nimrods really have many secrets," Dhelmise said. "Plus, Pyukumuku and Lycanroc are the only ones here that are actually pretty 'unbreakable' in a sense. Pyukumuku doesn't really get that offended by much, and uh… let's just say that Lycanroc is off limits."

"Oh?" Tepig asked with a mischievous grin. "Do tell."

"Tell what? I literally just said that those two don't have much to go off of. Well, Pyukumuku does, but it's literally sad, so it's a bit pathetic to try to go for that point. Plus, it doesn't really bother him _that_ much."

"Yeah, Infernape gets his ass handed to him so often it's no fun to target him either. Everybody else is on the market. Especially Gallade. Gallade's fun," Tepig said. "What's up with Lycanroc, though? Are you two….?"

"OH ARCEUS NO!" Dhelmise bellowed, as if offended. "Love is bullshit and I will _never_ look for that mind-numbing shit. Plus, she likes Incineroar, which is very humorous."

"...He's gay, inne?" Tepig asked.

"Gay and engaged," Dhelmise replied. "Some stupid Lucario actually found _that_ attractive and is planning on marrying it. And I gotta say, he's really plowing into him with the way he acts."

"Haha, gross," Tepig said. "Incineroar sounds like one of those types that can't take a joke. Like Charizard. Also are you sure that you're not into Lycanroc? Cuz I have a radar for that."

"Oh please. The only 'attraction' I'd have to her would be because of her personality, but I don't like _it_ much either," Dhelmise explained. "110% sure that I'm not into her. I respect her, I'll give her that, though."

"Okay, okay," Tepig said, raising his hands in surrender. "This is gonna be a fun challenge, though. Brand new Pokemon to mock, and now I get to watch another Ninjask mock the hell out of them too? Dammit, if only if it was recorded…."

His eyes lit up. "It IS recorded."

"Yeah, we're still on a shit show, remember?" Dhelmise replied.

"Even better. You know, Dhelmise, I feel like this is going to be the start of a beautiful friendship," Tepig said, teary eyed.

"I don't have friends. _Acquaintance_ is more to my liking," Dhelmise replied with a nod.

 **0000**

" **His apathetic tone hides hidden affection," Tepig said. "Like...er one of those puddles that seem really shallow but then turn out to be so deep that they cause injuries and deaths constantly...or black ice, where it seems clean but then you slip on it and it causes injuries and deaths constantly. Er..I think the the point is beginning to become convoluted; can we cut the tape?"**

 **0000**

"So...uh...you're a lesbian, huh?" Incineroar inquired inquisitively, eyeing Lucario as she lifted weights. "Got anyone back at home?"

"I have a lot of stuff to figure out," Lucario said awkwardly. "I-I have a boyfriend, but I'm beginning to think that maybe...he might've just been a smokescreen. I got called a lot of names for being the tough girl, so looking back I might have just started dating him to throw them off."

"Oh? Tough girl who was made fun of for it…" Lycanroc started. "Hmm… I wonder why that sounds so _familiar_ …"

The wolf turned to Hakamo-o, who was remaining silent, lifting 50 pound weights. Upon hearing that, the dragon- and fighting-type sighed. "Lycanroc, please don't start…"

"C'mon! You two are almost the exact same!" Lycanroc said, rubbing her shoulders as she stopped lifting the two weights. "Share some advice! Maybe you can help her out."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound like a bad idea!"

"But, I'm not… y'know, gay," Hakamo-o replied.

"That doesn't matter! You both have similar backgrounds. Just talk to her!"

Hakamo-o gave her wolf friend an annoyed glower before finally groaning and dropping the weights.

"Maybe you should take her to your room. We don't want you to air your dirty laundry with the guys here," Lycanroc said, gesturing to Pyukumuku, Shuckle, and Munchlax, who were playing Halo in the game section of the floor.

"I-uh...don't think they're even paying attention…" Incineroar spoke up, glancing over to them.

"Just go. Privacy is always better…"

"Okay, fine," Hakamo-o groaned, facepalming herself. She glanced at Lucario, who had stopped lifting her weights. "Come with me…"

"I….uh okay?" Lucario said, scratching her head.

Hakamo-o led Lucario to the elevators, leaving Lycanroc and Incineroar with the three guys and the games.

 **0000**

" **I get dragged a lot this episode," Lucario admitted.**

 **0000**

Hakamo-o and Lucario arrived on the third floor, where the Solgaleo females still slept. She walked to her door and opened it, holding the door so that Lucario could go in, first.

Lucario looked around the room, admiring the setup of the rooms. Hakamo-o walked ahead of her and sat on her bed. She pat her hand on the area next to her, though she really didn't think doing this was necessary.

Lucario took a seat next to her and Hakamo-o took a breath. "Okay… just, explain what your problem is and I'll see what I can help you do…"

"I mean it isn't a problem, per se…I'm fine. I just feel like a bit of an asshole is all," Lucario said. "Something I'll have to sort out with the guy once the season ends. Also, you don't seem much of the listening type."

Hakamo-o let out a sigh. "There it goes again," she said, rising up. "People always assume things about me just from how I look or what I 'seem' like without actually trying to get to know me. I knew I shouldn't have agreed to this…"

"Well I don't judge it on appearance," Lucario said. "I can read auras and in all honesty, yours reminds me of mine."

"Oh, well...I don't know whether that's a compliment or not," Hakamo-o replied, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"To be honest, me neither," Lucario admitted. "I've never been too good at judging myself, much less other people. Ugh, do you want to just do something fun? I'm not a big fan of talking about feelings."

"Thank ARCEUS you said that. Feelings aren't my forte either," Hakamo-o said. "But, uh...neither is _fun_ , really. I don't know what it is, but I don't think I can have fun."

"Wanna fight? You seem tough," Lucario said. "I've been training for a tournament, and I've basically just been challenging everyone I can."

Hakamo-o gained a smile. "Now battling, _that_ I can do. And let me guess… the _Pokken_ Tournament?"

"Hell, yeah," Lucario said, cracking her knuckles. "You should try it sometime. Uh….maybe we shouldn't fight here though."

"We can go to the beach…" Hakamo-o said with a shrug. "But, uh...I don't think we'll have much time. Solgaleo said noon and it's...11:43 right now…"

"Maybe we can just go outside," Lucario suggested.

"That works, too," Hakamo-o replied.

0000

The guys were still playing Halo on the seventh floor, with Lycanroc and Incineroar watching the shocking intensity of the situation. Even Incineroar didn't get _this_ crazy about a game. Pyukumuku was still just being himself, but Shuckle and Munchlax were well...

"So, I guess together we can be Neo Eviolite," Shuckle said, jotting down some notes. "Also, Munchlax, will you calm down? You don't want to destroy another controller by accident again, do you? He's gone through three of them back at camp, and I think he actually ate one…"

"Dude, shut up," Munchlax said. He was surrounded by empty bags of Doritos. "Also, Pyukumuku is really good. I need to go full Munchlax on this one."

"Full Munchlax?" Lycanroc inquired. "Uh...what exactly does that entail?"

"And really? Three controllers?" Incineroar questioned. "I mean, I can get intense when playing games, but usually my man catches me and just...well...let's just say he calms me down…"

"You don't need to bring that up, dude," Lycanroc giggled.

"This is fun!" Pyukumuku chirped as he just kept pressing the same button repeatedly.

"Are you sure he's that good, Munchlax?" Shuckle asked, peering over. "Because it kind of seems like-"

"Shuckle. I will end you. In front of everybody. I will not hesitate," Munchlax growled. "So I suggest you back off."

"Okay," Shuckle whimpered, backing away.

"Does he _always_ get like this?" asked Lycanroc, giggling a bit.

"No! He's usually the sweetest guy!" Shuckle said. "But once he starts playing games, then he turns into a completely different person. If Bidoof were here, Munchlax would already be beating him up!"

"Well then…" Incineroar replied. "I guess that's enough videogames for one day."

Hearing how he acted, Incineroar decided to take the chance and got Munchlax in a sleeper hold. The teal bear was trying his best to fight him off, still shouting slurs the entire time. Eventually, the Munchlax lost consciousness, allowing Incineroar to release him. He slumped over, snoozing.

"Whoa, I didn't know you knew the sleeper hold," Lycanroc acknowledged, mystified.

Incineroar shrugged. "Not that big a deal. _He_ used to use it on me when I got too angry around jackasses, so I told him to teach it to me, too…"

"You have to teach that to me," Shuckle gaped. "This could solve like….all of my problems."

Incineroar chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "I don't know. It doesn't really seem like you need it. You just need to keep this lug from videogames."

"Yeah, but say there's this really obnoxious, cigarette loving hoodlum that I can't stand," Shuckle said. "And if this hypothetical person exists, I feel like I should have a way to er...subdue him."

"So… You realize that whenever people say hypothetically, they're talking about themselves nearly 100% of the time," Lycanroc giggled. "Just say that you dislike the guy and get a response."

"Shuckle….really hates Scrafty," Munchlax mumbled in his sleep.

"As I should!" Shuckle protested. "He's totally the main antagonist of our show. Stay away from him, you guys!"

"I have no idea if we even have an antagonist here," Lycanroc opined sincerely. "I mean, Dhelmise is a snarker who gets on people's nerves, but I don't see him as such, and everyone else is… themselves."

Incineroar rolled his eyes. "Dhelmise is the jackass of our show. And head's up, you can't get away from him, really. He talks a lot of shit, as you probably have already guessed, so yeah. You guys may have it a bit easier. As for teaching you the sleeper hold for the 'hypothetical' hoodlum, I guess I could help."

"Or anyone, really," Shuckle admitted. "We have a lot of aggressive guys in our cast. I could see basically anyone snapping at this point."

"Congratulations," Incineroar remarked, hiding a smile. "I like guys that are a bit aggressive…"

"O-ho-kay, calm down there big boy," Lycanroc said with a giggle. "Just teach the little guy the technique so we can get on with what needs to be done…"

"Which is?"

"Checking on Hakamo-o and Lucario!" Lycanroc reminded. "Now get to teachin'!"

 **0000**

" **Incineroar taught me some really cool moves!" Shuckle said. "Er...some were a little….risque, though. I'm starting to realize that maybe some of them were meant to be used in the bedroom."**

 **0000**

Hakamo-o and Lucario were outside of the hotel standing a good distance away from each other. Dhelmise, Tepig, Charizard, Zorua, and Gallade were all standing at the door, preparing to watch their battle take place.

"This is going to be fun to watch," Dhelmise commented. "Overrated Pokemon vs. Borderline-Emotionless Loser."

"Go fuck yourself, Dhelmise!" Hakamo-o snapped.

"Don't worry about it, Haka!" Tepig chuckled. "Lucario loses all the time. She's lost to Munchlax like twice now."

"Go fuck yourself, Tepig!" Lucario snapped.

"Same response," Dhelmise acknowledged. "They're a match made in the Distortion World…"

Both girls growled, faint blushes forming on their faces as they glowered toward the anchor.

"Will one of you who's _not_ Thing 1 or Thing 2 referee the battle or something?" Hakamo-o questioned. "I'm not trying to hear those two berate us the entire fucking time."

"I'll do it," Charizard grumbled, still clutching his pineapple. "I want a clean fight, ladies."

"Okay, I guess that works…" Hakamo-o groused to herself. "So, I guess we can start. You can make the first move if you want."

"Sure thing," Lucario said, launching a swift aura sphere.

Hakamo-o swiftly dodged it before rushing forward, her arms glowing. She leapt up, attempting to use Brick Break.

Lucario played far more defensively, spinning around a bone staff to block Hakamo-o's vicious swipes.

"Make out!" Tepig shouted.

Ignoring the snarky porker's comments, Hakamo-o stopped her buffet of swipes and slid back. With a smile, she rushed forward again, her claws now a purplish color.

Lucario quickly got low to the ground, aiming a kick for her legs while ducking under her attack.

Hakamo-o, seeing how she was countering, gained a smile. She'd seen this trick far too many times. Leaping up, she focused directly below her, the Dragon Claw actually hitting its mark.

Lucario winced, but her type allowed her to survive without taking too much damage. She thrust an open palm into Hakamo-o's chest, an unseen force blasting the dragon back a second later.

Doing a backflip, Hakamo-o winced from the attack, but smirked. "Nice move. But let's see how well you handle _this_."

She rose a leg and slammed it down hard, an Earthquake beginning to shake and jostle everyone in the vicinity, with the exception of Charizard.

0000

"Hey!" Charizard barked. "Can you NOT accidentally murder an innocent bystander?"

Tepig was lying on the ground, groaning. "Something just landed on me…."

"Never mind, actually," Charizard corrected. "Nobody important was hurt."

" _You_ weren't even hurt, ya big lug. Why are you whining?" Dhelmise inquired, glowering at the flying lizard.

"I was hurt! I demand medical treatment!" Tepig snapped. "It has to be Lycanroc though!"

Nobody paid any attention to the fallen pig, they instead focused on the battle.

0000

Hakamo-o, seeing Lucario a bit stunned from the Earthquake, decided to rush forward once again. Her arms glowed white, evident of a Brick Break that was heading the jackal's way.

"Ahh shit," Lucario groaned, throwing an aura sphere before getting into another defensive position.

Seeing the sphere heading her way, Hakamo-o smacked it back toward her using her arms before stopping. She got into an offensive pose.

"So, does anyone want to place bets?" Zorua asked.

"I just want someone to be knocked out. Bets aren't my thing," Dhelmise remarked.

Slowking stumbled over, still shaky from his nap. "Does anyone know how smart Hakamo-o is when she fights?"

"Nope," Dhelmise replied instantly. "Never really saw it before. All we know is that she has never had fun a day in her life and she's only ever trained since she was a kid or something. So, even if she _is_ dumb when battling, it'll be entertaining as all hell."

"Interesting," Slowking said. "Lucario seems to be holding back. Perhaps she's waiting for Hakamo-o to make a mistake."

"If that's the case, we're gonna be here for a while, because that bitch there hates people making mistakes," Dhelmise explained. "I don't know if she'll even stumble or tire out if that stupid backstory of hers is accurate."

Slowking nodded a little, watching the fight with newfound interest.

"S-so nobody wants to bet then?" Zorua asked. "Aww man…."

Lucario brushed off the counter attack, glaring at Hakamo-o, who was still in a fighting stance. Focusing her aura, she created a barrier around herself.

"Your move, hon," Lucario said, cracking her knuckles.

Hakamo-o giggled at that. "If you say so."

The Scaly Pokemon leapt upwards in her same spot before crashing back down, starting another Earthquake before she leapt back, standing on the edge of the fountain. Seeing that Lucario wasn't affected due to the aura around her, she folded her arms with a smile. "Really? Aura Barrier? Come on now, aren't we a little more _confident_ than that?"

Lucario merely shrugged and sent a wave of aura spheres, each of them homing in on Hakamo-o.

The dragon-type, who was still standing on the fountain's edge, leapt upwards at just the right moment so that the spheres _obliterated_ the fountain, causing water and pieces of the fountain to leak out and spread around.

"Nice try, _hun_ ," Hakamo-o replied, passing Lucario a playful sneer. The dragon-type swiftly moved in a serpentine pattern, moving back and forth, switching the distance between her and the Aura Pokemon consistently. This movement looked extremely stupid to the bystanders, who saw that Lucario was just standing still.

Lucario glanced at her movements, slowly memorizing her pattern, before a sly smile appeared on her face. "Got you."

With a grunt, she sent a fully charged aura sphere towards the direction that she calculated Hakamo-o to be.

When the aura sphere went in Hakamo-o's direction and struck, she seemingly vanished into thin air. "Ooh….you were so close," Lucario heard from behind her. Hakamo-o used Brick Break, swiping Lucario in the back.

"Wait, what?!" Dhelmise exclaimed, completely bewildered. "How did she-"

"How did you-?" Lucario grunted, stumbling off balance.

"Just something one of my elders taught me," Hakamo-o explained, dusting her hands off. "It's a tactic to throw your opponent off your actual position. Your move."

Lucario slapped herself in the head to stay focused. "Alright, screw defense." She vanished and reappeared, kicking Hakamo-o in the face.

Hakamo-o stumbled back, chuckling. " _Now_ it's a battle," she remarked, sneering. She started doing the same technique she'd done a few moments ago, moving in numerous patterns in front of the Lucario.

"What _is_ that move she keeps doing?" Lucario muttered. She took a deep breath and calmed her mind.

Hakamo-o didn't let up, continuing to move in her patterns, her eyes locked on Lucario's.

Lucario let out a roar of defiance and let loose a Flash Cannon, this time aiming for the opposite place she expected Hakamo-o to be.

Hakamo-o smiled, using Dragon Claw on her back this time. "You have to pay attention, Luca. Not everything is what it is seems…"

Hakamo-o flipped back to the opposite side of Lucario. Although it seemed like she was playing around, she was actually completely serious about this battle, and she could sense that Lucario was feeling the same way. She just loved the reactions she got from her opponents and bystanders when she used her special tactics. Training all of your life really paid off. "You want to try again?" she questioned.

Lucario took a deep breath. "You're certainly a tough opponent. But you can't get into Pokken Tournament without knowing to think outside the box!"

She charged an aura sphere and shot it at the ground, giving her the boost she needed to slam into Hakamo-o and send them both bowling over. The two girls were now forced to fight each other on the ground.

"Nice move," Hakamo-o complimented. "But you should remember that thinking outside the box doesn't _always_ go in your favor."

She rose a fist and embedded it into ground, causing yet another Earthquake that actually launched them both up. Hakamo-o landed on her feet and began riding the Earthquake out, arms folded. Lucario landed on her feet, too, but she was panting and had her fists clenched. Seeing this, Hakamo-o smirked as the Earthquake stopped. She motioned for Lucario to come at her once again.

Lucario grinned. "You may want to end this quickly. The more damage I take the more powerful I become."

Hakamo grinned back. "And why _wouldn't_ I want that? I love a challenge, well, a more intense one anyway…"

The dragon- and fighting-type rushed toward the jackal, her arms glowing. Lucario charged up an aura sphere but held onto it. Hakamo-o saw what she was doing and grinned, gaining an idea. She crouched down, but continued rushing toward the Aura Pokemon, still preparing to use Brick Break.

Lucario's free arm came up to block the attack, before throwing several kicks at the dragon type's stomach. When Hakamo-o faltered, Lucario's aura sphere was launched at point blank range.

Hakamo-o took the aura sphere to the back, but she continued with her plan. She used Brick Break on Lucario's legs, knocking the jackal onto her butt. Hakamo-o then did a roundhouse kick, striking her face before using Brick Break thrice more. Once she was done with that attack, she moved a couple of feet back to allow her opponent to rise.

0000

"Well this is getting brutal," Zorua admitted. "Also, jeez they both look like they're in their own little world."

Lycanroc, Incineroar, Pyukumuku, and Shuckle, who dragged a still asleep Munchlax him, came through the door.

"There you guys are," Lycanroc greeted. "What's going on?"

"Oh, those two are battling for our amusement," Dhelmise replied.

"Sweet," Incineroar remarked. "Always wanted to see how she fought."

"I thought they were supposed to talk, not fight!" Lycanroc exclaimed.

"Fighting is obviously how they talk," Shuckle said with a chuckle. "Gives physical therapy a new meaning."

"Who's winning?" Incineroar asked.

"Lucario keeps getting shut out," Slowking explained, rubbing his chin. "Clearly Hakamo-o's spent a lot of time on her craft."

"When DOES the fight end anyway?" Infernape asked.

"Whenever Solgaleo and Lunala come back," Pyukumuku responded. "It's actually a bit past noon now isn't it?"

"Maybe they're watching the battle, too," Dhelmise assumed. "Also, Lycanroc, Tepig says he needs medical assistance or something."

Tepig gave her a roguish wink.

Lycanroc rolled her eyes playfully. "Don't you have a girlfriend already?"

Tepig grinned sheepishly. "N-no idea what you're talking about?"

0000

Hakamo-o was waiting for Lucario's next move, as they were both panting and eyeing each other from across the way.

Lucario shot an aura sphere in a vicious curve ball, spinning to catch Hakamo-o off guard. Hakamo-o didn't fall for it, though, and used Brick Break to hit the Aura Sphere back toward her, as she did previously.

"You're going to have to rely on more than just Aura Spheres, Luca!" Hakamo-o advised. The Scaly Pokemon charged toward her once again, attempting to use Brick Break once again.

"I can say the same thing about your Brick Breaks!" Lucario countered as Hakamo-o grew nearer. She once more used Extreme Speed to vanish and reappear, pulling Hakamo-o into a full nelson.

Raising a brow, Hakamo-o heeled Lucario's right ankle. Following that, she leapt up , forcing her weight onto the jackal and causing her to fall back. Hakamo-o winced due to Lucario's chest spike, but was able to get up and glower down at her.

Lucario followed up with a headbutt, causing both of them to stumble back. Lucario fell to one knee, panting.

"Okay then…" Hakamo-o replied, rubbing her head.

She was panting, but she was eager to continue with this battle; she whacked her with her tail before kicking her in the chin. "Come on… show me some more of that anger and strength."

Lucario let out a low growl before throwing her off, shooting a well aimed flash cannon to blast her away in midair. "I could go all day!"

Hakamo-o landed before getting on one knee as well. "So could I…" she said with a tempting growl.

"Do you guys wanna take a break?" Infernape asked. "It's been a really long time now!"

Lucario groaned. "Never. I am unstoppable..." she took a few shaky steps.

Hakamo-o had a rather crazed look on her face, happy that Lucario wanted to keep going. "Come at me!" she roared.

"Whoa, Haka, are you okay?!" Lycanroc exclaimed, hearing and seeing her friend's usual demeanor shift so quickly.

She turned to the wolf. "I'm just fine…" she said, panting with a sneer on her face before she turned back to Lucario, who was still taking steps toward her. "Come on… bring it..."

"If they keep this up, we might as well have no challenge!" Incineroar chuckled. "This'll bring in their stupid views just fine…"

Lycanroc whined. "I don't know how I feel about this…"

Once the jackal was in reach, Hakamo-o used Dragon Claw, slashing her face. She took a few steps back, panting.

Lucario groaned and threw a punch of her own, much slower than the last few had been. "Urgh, how long have we been doing this?"

"I have no idea," Hakamo-o said, chuckling as an aura suddenly surrounded herself, which launched Lucario back once the slow punch landed. "But, I'm loving it…"

Lucario pulled herself back up. "Okay. Change in tactics." She jumped in the air, throwing an aura sphere at the ground, letting loose all of her remaining energy.

"Hey guys, what's-AHHHHH!" Victini teleported right in front of the blast, the impact sending him flying head over heels.

"Wh-whoops," Lucario gasped.

"Wrong place to teleport…" Hakamo-o commented, folding her arms.

"Sorry we're late," Solgaleo apologized as he and Lunala teleported back to the island as well. "We- uh… had a bit of a hold up back at the hall…"

"What kind of hold up?" Dhelmise questioned. "No hold up should have stopped your professionalism. These two have been battling for the past fifteen minutes or so, time _you_ could have spent-"

"SHUT IT!" Lunala bellowed, glaring at the Sea Creeper Pokemon.

Hariyama hopped down between the two. "Excellent match, though both ladies could use some more stamina."

Victini moaned. "Can I sue someone for this?"

"We're the hosts, Victini," Solgaleo replied. "We don't sue. We _get_ sued. Now, I think we've wasted enough time, so let's get this challenge on the way."

There was a collective groan among the conjoined cast, as they all wanted for the battle to actually have a winner. Hakamo-o eyed Lucario, who ogled her back.

 **0000**

" **Why is my luck so bad!" Victini mumbled, as Hariyama slowly wrapped a bandage around his head. "I'm the victory Pokemon! It's not fair!"**

 **0000**

 **Lucario grinned. "Nice fight. I could have spent all day on that. Plus, y'know. The view wasn't terrible either."**

 **She blushed. "Oh god, I just said that on tape."**

 **0000**

Solgaleo and Lunala led all of the contestants to Diglett's Tunnel. Once they were there, Solgaleo overlooked the contestants. "Alright, is this everybody?"

"Uh, no… Umbreon is still somewhere in the hotel trying to scavenge for organs," Tepig explained.

"Also, have you guys seen Scrafty?" Munchlax asked. "I don't think I've seen him all day."

"Oh, so there's another one of you? Splendid…" Dhelmise said sarcastically.

"Was he even on the plane?" Charizard inquired, honestly not even caring about the hoodlum.

"Will you guys calm down?" Scrafty said, walking over. "I was just having a smoke. Why the hell do you all care?"

"A fair amount of us don't," Dhelmise said, referring to himself and the rest of the Alola cast. "So, don't you flatter yourself."

"Anyways!" Lunala shouted, getting everyone's attention again. "Today's challenge will consist of two parts. Part one will be handled by myself and Solgaleo, while part two will be handled by Victini."

"Precisely," Solgaleo added. "Your first challenge will take place here in Diglett's Tunnel, so follow us inside…"

The large lion and bat entered the tunnel, with the the contestants, Hariyama, and Victini following suit.

0000

Upon entrance into the tunnel, a starting line was seen almost immediately. What followed the line, though, sent chills down everyone's spine and caused mouths to gape.

There was an obstacle course, a _very very_ long obstacle course. It started with a silver ramp that led to a rope swing over a pit of lava. Shortly following it was a conveyor belt that was going backwards towards the lava. The conveyor belt extended a rather long way, with pools of different fluids separating them into sections that'd have to be leapt across. The fluids were Carvanha infested water, spoiled milk, and fecal matter, combined with vomit. Following the final conveyor belt was a ladder that had a log set at the top that they'd have to hold onto and roll down. Then, there were three electrified hurdles that they'd have to jump over before they made it to the exit.

Seeing all of this, Victini's cast was shocked, petrified, and impressed all at the same time. Meanwhile the cast of Alola just sighed.

"Can I just kill myself instead?" Dhelmise questioned.

"I'm sure we'd all love that, but considering that you're already dead, you cannot," Solgaleo replied.

"So what is the reward of this challenge?" Slowking asked. "Is there a winner for both casts, or merely one?"

"The way that this is going to be filmed and broadcast is going to be different than what we did with Shaymin," Lunala explained. "There will be a winner from both casts, which means that our cast will participate all together for our show, and you guys will compete together for your show."

"And we won't be telling you all the reward until we get to Victini's challenge," Solgaleo explained. "Now, the goal of this challenge is to make it through this course with the fastest time. Fastest time wins, obviously, and that's pretty much all there is to it. Any questions?"

Victini's cast all glanced at each other. Charizard cleared his throat. "Can't we do something….less dangerous? And gross, for that matter."

"Oh can it, Copper," Tepig said. "Sounds fun to me."

"Plus, these challenges are always dumb, so that 'something else' could be better or worse. We never know," Incineroar explained. "Digging up cemeteries, being put in traps like in SAW movies, searching for stuff and taking a long time to do it…"

"Drinking semen-" Dhelmise added.

"FUCK. OFF ALREADY!" Incineroar exclaimed.

"Wait is he serious?" Tepig snorted. "Was that actually a thing?"

"Yep," Dhelmise replied. "'Would you rather' challenge…"

"Hilarious," Tepig said.

"Can we just get this challenge over with already?" Incineroar questioned. "I don't want to hear anything else about that shit…"

"Certainly," Lunala said. "So, Victini, would you like your cast to go first since you have more players?"

"Uh sure…" Victini said. "Or we could just do it alphabetically."

"Alphabetically per cast, right?" Solgaleo questioned. "I mean having all of the contestants do it all for one show will kinda ruin the point of watching the other show. That's what Lunala was saying. You guys get footage of your contestants doing our course to show on your show, and we won't show it on ours so people _have_ to watch your show. And we'll have footage of our contestants doing it for our show."

"Ah, fair enough," Victini said. "I guess we'll go first then."

Umbreon walked into the cave, her eyes widened, and she turned around immediately. "Yeah, no. Fuck that."

"Wait, she can't do that, can she?" Charizard protested.

Victini chuckled. "She just spent the last half hour searching for organs. If you want YOURS harvested, then be my guest and stop her. In the meantime, she'll just be disqualified from the challenge. Speaking of, you're first buddy."

"WHAT!" Charizard shouted.

"And NO flying!" Victini snapped. "Nobody else gets to do it, so you can't either. Only fair!"

Charizard swore under his breath as he stomped over to the starting line, wincing at the horrible course in front of him. "Dammit, I almost MISS that obsta-SKILL course thing from way back in the day."

"I'm starting the timer!" Victini announced. "Go!"

Charizard stomped up the ramp as his clunky feet could carry him. Jumping, he caught the rope and swung across. Unfortunately, Mr. Pineapple tumbled from his grasp and into the lava below.

"No!" Charizard snapped, abandoning the rope and diving down after Mr. Pineapple. "I can't lose you! You keep my anger in check!"

 **0000**

" **My, my," Scrafty chortled. "Is that a weakness I can exploit?"**

 **0000**

Charizard burst out of the lava victoriously, Mr. Pineapple safely in his hands. He snatched the rope and used it to swing himself across.

"Wait, the hell is that thing made of?" Zorua asked. "Mr. Pineapple wasn't even affected by the lava?"

Charizard was already at a time disadvantage, but he gritted his teeth and followed through. His only issue was one of the electric fences, which he stumbled over, before he finally crossed the finish line.

"Four minutes, fifteen seconds!" Victini announced. "Not too great of a start, huh? You probably could've broke three if you hadn't jumped after the pineapple."

Charizard rolled his eyes. "Whatever, as long as it's over with."

"You know there's another challenge after this, right?" Infernape said.

"SHIT!"

"Gallade, you're up!" Victini said. Gallade shrugged and walked over to the ramp with a neutral expression.

"And, go!" Victini said, starting the timer.

Gallade sprinted up the ramp, but when he jumped, his scythes slashed through the rope. He fell back, banging his head into the ramp and tumbling into the lava with a splash.

"Uh…..did he just die?" Slowking asked. "Because I think he…"

Gallade burst out of the lava, moaning as he dragged himself and curled up in a ball, covered in burns. "Gonna….kill you…"

"Better hurry!" Victini announced. "Clock's ticking, my guy!"

Gallade managed to stumble to his feet, but in his injured state he didn't exactly improve his time. He was nibbled by the Carvanha, fell headfirst into the electric fence, and toppled into the spoiled milk. When he finally stumbled over the finish line, Victini informed him that he hadn't even edged out eight minutes.

Gallade moaned as he stumbled over next to Zorua, who winced from the smell of spoiled milk and walked away.

Tepig grinned and popped the lid off of a moomoo milk. "Cheers, mate."

Gallade actually gagged, before stumbling away to find the confessional.

"You're a dick, you know that?" Lucario said to Tepig, shaking her head.

"If I wasn't I wouldn't be nearly as fun," Tepig said, grinning and taking a swig.

"Uhhhhh….Infernape!"

"WOOOO!"

"Ow. Calm down. You're up."

Infernape whooped and sprinted over, even before Victini started the timer. He leaped over the ramp and caught the replacement rope, swinging across to the other side without a hitch. He performed better than his two predecessors, avoiding obstacles and leaping over hurdles. His one blunder was the log, where he almost slipped off. He pulled himself back up swiftly and made it to the other side under three minutes.

"Infernape takes the lead!" Victini announced, looking impressed. "Lucario, maybe you can tip the scales a bit?"

Lucario took a deep breath. "That's going to be one tough score to beat! I'll try my best!"

Unlike Infernape, Lucario didn't make any mistakes. Unfortunately, her caution at the rope swing slowed her down a bit, and overall she didn't have Infernape's speed. Victini informed her that she had also made it under three minutes, but was a fraction of a second slower than Infernape.

"So close," Victini said, shaking his head. "Infernape's score still stands! M-munchlax? Th-think you could try and beat it?"

"Oh, screw you!" Munchlax shouted as he watched Victini trying not to laugh. "I'll show you how it's done!"

 **0000**

 **Zorua shrugged. "He showed us how to fail miserably."**

 **0000**

 **Munchlax whimpered. "Why do I do things?"**

 **0000**

"That's...er….six minutes, Munchlax," Victini said, giving the badly injured cub a look of concern. "Do you want to go to the emergency room?"

Munchlax ripped a Carvanha out of his ear. "I hate everything."

"Welcome to my world," Scrafty snorted. "Y'know, you did better than I thought you would."

Munchlax groaned and flopped down. "That says more about your opinion of me then you being impressed."

Scrafty shrugged. "Fair enough. Still though, I AM impressed by your determination. How you haven't called it quits right now is beyond me."

"Th-that still feels like you're insulting me," Munchlax deadpanned.

"Only a little bit. My point is, you know as well as I do that you won't ever finish the race first. It's just not in the cards," Scrafty admitted to himself. "But you make sure that no matter what, you still cross that finish line. It's admirable in a way."

"I...thanks, Scrafty," Munchlax said. "That's nice of you to say."

"Didn't say it to give you an ego boost," Scrafty muttered, walking away.

"Where are you going?" Victini shouted. "You're next, bucko!"

Scrafty swore loudly, before walking over to the ramp. Going at it at a jog, he snatched the rope and

swung across. Though he survived all the obstacles with relative ease, Slowking noticed that the hoodlum was moving rather casually, not bothering to go at full sprint. He crossed the finish line without even breaking a sweat. His time was three minutes, fifteen seconds.

 **0000**

" **I may be smarter than monkey butt, but there's no way I'm ever beating him in a footrace," Scrafty admitted. "So why waste time expending the energy that I'll use to win the next challenge? Basic math, guys.**

 **0000**

"I'm next, aren't I?" Shuckle gulped, looking at the course with trepidation.

"Yup!" Victini said cheerfully. "Let's get cracking!"

"All right," Shuckle said, taking a deep breath, before carefully looking at the battle field. "I think I have an idea."

He gave a weak jump that was _just enough_ for him to reach the rope, wrapping his noodle like arms around the ends of it. With a grunt, he used all his strength to swing back and forth.

"Wait, what's he up too?" Infernape asked.

"Ahhh, clever," Slowking admitted. "He's gaining momentum to make up for his lack of speed."

With a strangled cry, Shuckle swung forward as far as he could, letting go and flying high over most of the course. He landed just past the last conveyor, and quickly scrambled to complete the obstacle course, managing to survive on the log by wrapping around its trunk. He struggled a bit with the fences, but managed to cross the finish line at a decent time.

"Ooh, tough break, Shuckle," Victini said, shaking his head. "Clever move with the rope, but your natural lack of speed just seemed to be your undoing. Your time was four minutes and two seconds."

"

"Whatever, bronze isn't so bad," Shuckle said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Slowking, no psychic abilities to float," Victini said, patting him on the shoulders. "Charizard couldn't fly, and we have to make things fair."

"Fair enough," Slowking said, giving the rope a grim look. He was at a hefty disadvantage. Unlike Shuckle, he was far too heavy to fly far using the rope.

"May I forfeit?" Slowking asked. "From a logical standpoint, there is no way that I'm going to beat Infernape."

"That's….c'mon man that's so lame," Victini said. "Besides, if you don't-"

"You won't automatically eliminate me," Slowking said, walking away. "Too anticlimactic for you."

"He's gotcha there," Lunala spoke.

 **0000**

" **Dammit, he called my bluff!" Victini growled. "He's way too badass to be eliminated on a mere technicality. Sure wish he'd bother to try, though."**

 **0000**

" **He's too over reliant on his psychic powers," Zorua said in realization. "If Scrafty and I teamed up on him he'd be vulnerable. He tried to play it cool here, but I can tell he was freaked out."**

 **0000**

" **Slowking DOES have one major weakness," Shuckle said with a wry grin. "I wonder if anyone else has figured it out yet."**

 **0000**

"Okay Tepig, can we just make this easy?" Victini asked. "And not have your bullshit take up half a page?"

Tepig rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine, bloody hell. Here Zorua, take this."

He placed his fedora on her head. "Don't want this melted off."

"Wait, what did you just say?" Zorua asked as Tepig stepped up the ramp.

"Uh….begin!" Victini said, starting the timer.

Tepig turned around, grinned, flashed a peace sign, and fell back into the lava.

" _Quoi?_ " Scrafty asked. 

Munchlax and Lucario both ran over to the edge after hearing the splash. They could see the outline of someone swimming through the lava.

"Wait, is he-?" Zorua asked.

"No way he's allowed to do that!" Charizard shouted.

Tepig burst from the ground a few feet away from the finish line, before proceeding to moonwalk the rest of the way to cross the finish line.

"Th-that's one minute and thirty seconds," Victini said. "But Tepig, we're talking about this."

"Yeah, no shit!" Charizard shouted. "That's cheating!"

"No it's not mate," Tepig said. "I did the course. I just did it uh….on the underside. Used one of the tunnels at the bottom of the lava pool to dig the rest of the way."

Charizard gnashed his teeth. "But that's-"

"-Completely unfair," Slowking said cooly. "Charizard and I were not allowed to use our special abilities during the course. Tepig should not be allowed to use his fire typing to survive the lava."

"Well, hold on here," Victini started.

"Actually, I disagree," Shuckle said. "His typing is merely a part of his biological makeup. Infernape and Charizard both are as immune to the lava as he is. Charizard is the only one of us that can fly, and Slowking, your psychic abilities are a testament to your own skill. Gallade has nothing on you in terms of psychic power."

Slowking rose an eyebrow, surprised that Shuckle was challenging him. "Be that as it may, the majority of the cast does not share that immunity to lava."

"Yeah, and the majority of the cast doesn't have Infernape's insane agility or Lucario's skill at fighting!" Shuckle said. "Look at Munchlax and I. Our physical features screwed us over here."

"Lucario is as powerful as she is because she's trained!" Slowking protested.

"Yeah, but she's also a fighting type," Shuckle countered. "Training comes naturally to her. Tepig pulled off a clever move, so let him have that."

"That was just him instigating and trying to create chaos," Slowking said. "He only did it to provoke a reaction, and he shouldn't be praised for it!"

Slowking and Shuckle glared at each other, but flinched when Victini shot a fireball between them.

"Hey! Enough! I make the decisions around here!" Victini said.

"Yeah, shitty ones," Tepig said with a snicker.

"Screw you," Victini said. "Give us a few minutes."

The three legends and Hariyama got into a group huddle.

 **0000**

" **This dumbass pig," Zorua said, shaking her head. "I'm beginning to wonder if anyone HASN'T wanted to kill him at some point."**

 **0000**

 **Shuckle shrugged in the confessional. "Tepig and I aren't exactly besties, but I'm no fool. Slowking is a massive threat and we're at the top eleven. Things need to happen or he could seriously win this thing. Hopefully I turned the tables a bit."**

 **0000**

" **He's openly declared war, interesting," Slowking said. "I'm going to have to appeal to the other players if I want to survive even a bit further."**

 **0000**

The group came to a decision, and Victini floated over. "Okay, so we've come to a bit of a compromise. Tepig's play is allowed, but we're adding five seconds as a penalty."

"What!?" Slowking said, flinching.

"Looks like your bullshit argument got you nowhere, huh hotshot?" Dhelmise teased.

"Heh." Shuckle smirked.

"Sucks to be you, mate!" Tepig chortled.

"That just leaves you, Zorua," Victini said. "Ready to go?"

Zorua groaned. "Fine. Whatever."

She threw Tepig's hat at him before sprinting towards the rope at a run. She managed to make it to the other side, sprinting at full speed towards the conveyor belts. She managed to dodge the Carvanha, avoid the spoiled milk, and roll safely down the ladder. After three perfect leaps over the electric fences, she crossed the finish line with a grin on her face. She hadn't screwed anything up at the very least.

"Well, you've edged out Lucario," Victini said. "Not quite enough to beat Infernape, though. So that puts you in third, with Infernape in second and fucking Tepig as the winner somehow."

"Ha!" Tepig said. "Your superior has presented himself."

"So that's our cast," Victini said, poking Solgaleo. "Your time to shine!"

"Well, this is going to be humorous," Solgaleo commented. "You guess can head on out through the other exit. There's a television so that you guys can see our contestants go through it."

"Okay, excellent," Victini replied. "My cast, let's head out and let these guys go…"

"Hopefully they don't show us up," Munchlax commented as he and the others exited out through the other tunnel opening.

 **0000**

" **To see how our crossover buddies did, check out Total Pokemon: Alola!" Victini said. "Do it! I know you want to! WAIT, finish our chapter first though."**

 **0000**

After seeing the other cast's runs, a good amount of the players were stupefied.

"Wow, she played us for a bunch of saps!" Infernape whispered.

"I know, right?" Munchlax said.

"No! Shut up!" Lucario growled at Munchlax. "You don't get to talk!"

"I empathize with Incineroar," Gallade said, shivering.

"Eh, I think you might've had it worse," Tepig said, sipping another moomoo milk.

"Tepig put that away!" Gallade snarled. "For the love of Arceus!"

 **0000**

 **Umbreon chuckled. "I can tell I dodged a bullet with this challenge, considering Gallade and Incineroar's stink."**

 **0000**

"Lycanroc is pretty hot," Munchlax admitted, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Yeah…." Lucario admitted, blushing a little.

"Wish we still had attractive girls on our show," Tepig admitted, earning a slap from Zorua.

"Hey, she's doing my thing!" Shuckle said, wriggling in happiness. "She understands good tactics!"

"Hey, so is Pyukumuku!" Munchlax said, pointing. "Oh my god."

Shuckle gaped at the television. "No way."

 **0000**

 **Munchlax blew his nose. "Today is a proud day for Team Neo Eviolite."**

 **0000**

 **Shuckle sniffed. "Today is a win."**

 **0000**

Lunala and Solgaleo turned to Tsareena, who was the last one for their cast. They exchanged glances.

"OKAY! LET'S MOVE ON TO THE NEXT CHALLENGE!" Lunala shouted as they teleported Tsareena to the end with the others.

The Alola cast made their way out of the tunnel, meeting back up with Victini's cast, who had been watching the footage intently.

"Did you guys like what you saw?" Solgaleo inquired.

"I'm so proud of you!" Shuckle shouted at Pyukumuku, tackling him in a hug.

"Yay, hugs!" he chirped in response. "But, what did I do?"

"You won the challenge, dude," Munchlax said, joining the group hug.

"So, what do we win?" Tepig asked Solgaleo greedily.

"It depends on Victini's challenge. He kept it a surprise for us, too," Solgaleo explained, eyeing the Victory Pokemon.

Victini rubs his hands. "I thought of a way for us all to compete together. Hold on, let me get changed."

He teleported away.

"If he comes back here in a leotard or something else stupid, I'm going to hit him with my anchor," Dhelmise stated.

"And if you go through with that, consider yourself automatically disqualified from the challenge," Lunala replied.

"Uhhhh I could see that happening," Munchlax admitted. "Victini can be a bit….er…."

"Mentally detached?" Shuckle suggested.

Victini teleported back, now dressed as a cowboy. "Howdy folks! It's time for Victini's Ditto Roundup Jamboree!"

"Eccentric is a better word, I think," Hakamo-o stated, seeing the tight-fitting costume on the fox legendary.

"Since I can't find Umbreon, we'll just be using the ten of you!" Victini said, pointing to his cast.

"She's probably on the beach," Dhelmise commented. "There aren't any organs there, but she could probably dig up bones from where Palossand show up."

"Yeah, but sneaking up on her is something I'm not willing to do," Victini admitted, shuddering to himself. "She once tried to drown me when I offered her something to drink."

"It was pretty funny," Scrafty said with a shrug.

"I sense that he'd like to plow that ass," Dhelmise stated. "And if you're seriously scared of Umbreon… why choose her to begin with?"

"My great personality," Umbreon drawled, walking in. "Victini, stop being a pussy."

"Oh, you're here," Victini said. "Never mind, then."

Umbreon sighed. "Reluctantly."

"Okay! So uh….to make it fair for everybody, we'll split into teams of three. Two from my cast, and one per you Alola guys. There has to be one team of two though, because we don't fit completely evenly."

"All you have to do is give one of your players invincibility," Lunala commented. "Just choose someone that you _know_ you want in the final ten."

"And how will that be fair for them, exactly?" Solgaleo questioned.

"Hey, it's his show. It's just a suggestion," Lunala replied with a shrug.

"Don't worry about that!" Victini said. "The team of two will get a surprise, super secret contestant to help them out for this challenge only."

"Could you just hurry up and _explain_ the challenge?" Dhelmise urged.

"Chill, chill!" Victini protested. "I'm getting to it! You guys are going to gather up and capture as many Diglett as you can with some tools available. The team that captures the most Diglett wins. And uh...oh sabotage is totally allowed. Feel free to beat the crap out of each other and steal stuff. For entertainment purposes!"

"So… we're collecting _Diglett_. The little bastards that stay embedded in the ground. The things that you can't really hold in your hands," Incineroar started.

"And don't forget… he said that this was a _Ditto_ Roundup Jamboree," Dhelmise added. "Looks like someone needs to fire their script writers…"

"You know, I think what people don't understand is how tiring writing can be," Victini said, his eye twitching. "Little mistakes are an inevitability, and pointing out every single one can be pretty cruel and unfair. Especially when the writer isn't EVEN BEING PAYED!"

"So you're not paying your interns who write your bullcrap. Good to know," Dhelmise replied. "Now, what about these teams you were talking about?"

"Uh….you guys decide the teams," Victini said with a shrug. "Pick whoever you want."

"Alright, this should be interesting…" Solgaleo spoke up. "And you said it's two of yours and one of ours per team? Hmm…"

"One of you sorry saps are gonna be stuck with Tsareena," Dhelmise laughed.

"Okay, just choose your teams…" Lunala stated, tired of hearing Dhelmise's non visible mouth.

000

"We call Pyukumuku!" Shuckle shouted, tackling and shielding the Sea Cucumber Pokemon from view with Munchlax.

Slowking looked over the remaining competitors. "Hmm….."

Infernape grabbed his arm, before pointing to Tsareena. "We'll take her!"

"Sure. Your funeral…" Lunala shrugged.

"Wait, hold on-" Slowking protested.

"No take backs, mate," Tepig said. "Wouldn't be fair."

"Don't you dare speak about fairness," Slowking said, rolling his eyes.

"He still butthurt about not getting his way?" Dhelmise questioned. "Sad."

Gallade tapped Incineroar on the shoulder. "Not very good at this, but want to be a thing?"

"Gayyyyy," Tepig jeered.

"One, I'm already, taken, porkchop," Incineroar started, glaring at the pig. He turned back to Gallade. "And two… sure," he finished with a shrug.

Gallade gave a half smile. "You seem like a good ally to have. We'll work well together."

Incineroar nodded.

Lycanroc, Hakamo-o, and Dhelmise were the only ones not in a group just yet.

"Want to beat the shit out of everybody else this time, Hakamo-o?" Lucario asked with a grin.

Hakamo-o grinned back. "Oh-ho definitely."

"Make sure you have a dildo with you two. Don't wanna chafe yourselves on the ground in there," Dhelmise joked tonelessly.

Hakamo-o tried to use Shadow Claw on the ghost, who disappeared before the attack could even make contact. "Jackass…"

Zorua bopped Tepig on the head. "So, who should we pick? Dhelmise or Ly-"

"Lycanroc!" Tepig shouted. "Lycanroc get over here."

"Dude," Zorua said. "You are in. a. Romantic. Relationship."

"Oh come on, just let me have a bit of eye candy," Tepig pleaded. "You know we wouldn't have this problem if you agreed to my terms."

"Why the hell would I transform into really hot girls for you to ogle at?" Zorua snapped. "What makes you think that's even a fair question to ask?"

"I'm an optimist?" Tepig said innocently.

"You're an idiot," Zorua said. "Lycanroc, stay away from him. He's harmless but his lack of brain cells may rub off on you."

"Looks like I'll get over there," Dhelmise said, floating over to them. "Nice to see you choosing attraction over sense…"

"Noooooooooo," Tepig whined.

Umbreon shrugged. "I'll go with Lycanroc then or whatever."

Lycanroc shrugged as well, walking over.

Scrafty and Charizard glanced at each other. Scrafty cleared his throat. "I'll join Gallade and Incineroar then."

Charizard nodded. "Then I guess I'll join the two girls."

"That leaves Umbreon and Lycanroc with our super secret mystery person!" Victini said.

"Um… cool, I suppose," Lycanroc said tentatively.

Umbreon blinked. "I bet it's someone dumb."

"Hey, they couldn't be that bad," Lycanroc assured.

"So uh….should we discuss rewards now?" Victini asked, looking at the two other judges.

"Yeah, that's fine," Solgaleo answered, with Lunala nodding in agreement. "The winners of the last challenge get these state-of-the-art tracking devices."

Two pieces of machinery that resembled metal detectors were teleported to the front of the group. Pyukumuku and Tepig went forward and each got their reward.

"These devices will help you track Diglett all around the tunnel, as well as outside here," Solgaleo replied.

"Wait, there are Diglett _outside_ of the tunnel, as well?" Hakamo-o asked in surprise.

"Gotta make it somewhat harder," Victini said, chuckling.

"And for all fun purposes, the winner of the challenge will get to choose who from the opposing cast gets the boot," Lunala added.

"WHAT?!" everyone blustered immediately.

Victini and Solgaleo gave the Moone Pokemon a look as if she was crazy, but decided to just go along with it.

"Nice twist! Better hope you made a good impression!" Victini said.

"...Uh-oh," Tepig said.

"Let's get this challenge sta-"

"Where's our extra player?" Umbreon interrupted.

"Oh, right," Victini said, slapping himself in the face. "Hariyama, bring in the mystery box!"

Hariyama dragged in a huge box with a question mark plastered on it.

Victini teleported on top of the box and undid the wrappings. "Let's see who it is!"

The box fell apart, revealing an insectoid with a giant mushroom on its back. "It is I! THE GREAT PARASECT!"

"Oh god please no," Umbreon said.

"I'd take friggin' Carbink over him!" Zorua moaned.

"Haha! It only makes sense to be jealous of my perfection!" Parasect boasted, clicking his pinchers.

"Uh… so who is this?" Lycanroc questioned.

"He was our old team leader," Umbreon said. "He got eliminated a LONG time ago!"

"Rather unfairly!" Parasect shouted. "But now I will prove my worth as a true leader!"

"You were a hardass from what I've heard," Lucario said.

"Work under my heel and we will win the challenge for sure!" Parasect boasted, ignoring the insults hurled at him.

Lycanroc blinked before sighing softly. _"Just make the best of it. It's what you're good at…"_ she thought to herself.

"Alright, now that all of the teams are settled and you know your tasks… you all have two hours to capture as many Diglett as possible… the challenge begins….NOW!" Lunala announced.

" _HOW_ are we supposed to capture them?!" Hakamo-o asked.

"Oh right, uh… Hariyama, bring in the pokeballs…" Victini requested.

The Arm Thrust Pokemon wheeled in another box. Instead of falling apart this time, Hariyama instead yanked off the top. Numerous normal pokeballs were scene inside, among a few drawstring bags.

The bags were thrown at each team, each filled with a specific amount of pokeballs, causing pain upon impact for a few.

"Alright, those bags are filled with pokeballs for each team, so _now_ the challenge starts… NOW!"

Almost all of the competitors rushed back into Diglett's Tunnel, with Dhelmise, Tepig, and Zorua being the only ones not back inside.

0000

Re-entering the tunnel, a fair amount of the players were both surprised, but also not that surprised to see that the course was no longer there. As the teams rushed away from each other in the large setting, Hakamo-o, Lucario, and Charizard started their search from the entrance they just reemerged from.

"So, how do you think we should do this?" asked Hakamo-o.

"I guess we can split up. We're fairly fast Pokemon, so we can cover more ground if we search different directions," Charizard said. "I'll get a bird's eye view and see if I can't spot any."

"I'll try to sense their aura," Lucario said. "How familiar are you with this place, Haka?"

Hakamo-o giggled at the nickname usually only used by Lycanroc, but kept her serious composure. "Well, considering that this is probably the first time I've been in here, I can confidently say that I know nothing."

"That makes us even then. Sure wish we had some of those trackers, though," Lucario said.

"No use crying over spilled milk," Charizard said. "We'd better get on with it. Good luck you two."

As the large dragon left the two of them to get an aerial view, Hakamo-o started walking forward, with Lucario following. The Scaly Pokemon was mainly looking at the ground, looking for holes in the ground where she suspected Diglett would normally pop up. With the other teams all around the area, she didn't really know whether or not she should go as far. "You sense anything Luca?"

"Hmmm….it's a bit hard to tell," Lucario admitted. "There are so many of them under us that I can't pinpoint exact locations.

Hakamo-o sighed. "Why do I have a feeling we're gonna have to dig for the Diglett?"

"We probably will. Dammit, I wish I knew that move," Lucario said. "Maybe one of us can break apart the ground a bit and the other can throw the poke balls?"

"I could use Earthquake and maybe drive them to the surface momentarily…" Hakamo-o explained. "Though _you_ may get a bit hurt in the process…"

Lucario thought for a moment, before creating a bone with her aura. She slammed it into the ground, before balancing on top. "There. This way I won't be affected by the quake."

"Alright then," Hakamo-o replied before raising a leg and slamming it down onto the ground, breaking through it as the ground shook violently. Hakamo-o retracted her leg as the shaking stopped.

"WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!" she heard someone else yell from the tunnel.

Rolling her eyes as Lucario got off of her bone, she eyed the cracked ground, expecting to see any sign of Diglett. Initially, it seemed like she had done it for nothing, but after a few seconds, Diglett began popping out of the ground to see what was going on above ground.

"Quick, chuck the balls from the bag!"

Lucario nailed seven of them before the rest of the Diglett popped back into the ground. Grinning at her victory, she cracked her knuckles. "Rinse and repeat."

"Isn't that a quote from the Karate Kid?" Hakamo-o giggled as she went over to pick up all of the pokeballs.

Every time she bend down, Lucario had to turn away, hiding a blush. "L-let's just focus on the challenge."

Hakamo-o, upon picking up the last ball, saw that Lucario was blushing faintly, causing her to raise a brow.

0000

"Alright ladies! With a plan and my Introduction to Rules: Graphic Novel Edition, our chances of victory are certain!" Parasect exclaimed.

"Eh, I prefered the movie," Umbreon joked.

Lycanroc, despite normally being talkative and outgoing, couldn't find anything to say in the group she was in. This was very unusual for her, as she usually never let anything stop her, but she just couldn't feel a positive vibe with the two she was with. Well, Umbreon was okay, but Parasect, she had literally no comment. She just started looking around the section of the tunnel they were in, yanking up the bag on her back.

Parasect pulled out several binders. "I have the perfect plan for our success. After researching this location for the past three days, I have determined the most populated areas we can exploit! Now follow me in single file!"

He scuttled off, while Umbreon fell back a bit with Lycanroc.

"Just ignore him, all right? Or make fun of him. You get good reactions," Umbreon said, shrugging.

"I'd rather not," the wolf replied, being feeling a lump under her left foot. Lifting it, she saw an Alolan Diglett looking up at her. "Hey!" she greeted.

She took off the bag and took out a pokeball. She dropped it on the Diglett, capturing it. She stood back up with a smile. "Well, that's one."

"THAT WASN'T IN ONE OF THE PREVIOUSLY DESIGNATED AREAS I ASSIGNED!" Parasect screeched. "IT DOES NOT COUNT!"

"Shut up," Umbreon snapped.

"Okay," Lycanroc spoke up. "Why don't _you_ follow your plan, and we'll follow ours, that way we're still working together and we just combine the amount that we get at the end?"

"NNNNNNNnngh," Parasect twitched.

"Just go," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes.

As Parasect scuttled off, grumbling to himself, Lycanroc let out a sigh. "This is gonna be a _long_ challenge…"

"I say that every day," Umbreon said, shaking her head.

"Well, I can't really complain," Lycanroc replied. "Everyone was and _is_ quite a character here."

"I know and I hate it. Look, do you want to dig underground or something?" Umbreon asked. "Or we could just skive off and forget the challenge."

"Digging underground should be a good enough strategy," Lycanroc answered. "Why would you want to shirk off? Don't you want to win?"

"I just don't care," Umbreon said. "I still have no idea how I've lasted this long in the competition. Plus, Parasect ruined the challenge for me."

"So, you just let other people determine how you feel instead of trying think and act for yourself?" Lycanroc questioned. "That's not a good way to live, you know."

"No, I just really don't like Parasect," Umbreon grumbled.

"Well, he's just different," Lycanroc said with a shrug. "Honestly, I don't anything to say about him since I don't know him. What is it about him that you don't like?"

"I just don't do well with people in general, and he's annoying," Umbreon said.

"Okay, and why is that?" Lycanroc prodded.

"Why do you care so much, anyway?" Umbreon asked.

"Because there's always a reason why people act the way they do. Whether they be antisocial, overly shy, 'bitchy', a jerk, you get the picture," Lycanroc explained. "I just try to help people come out of that phase. I know I can never change anyone, but it's just interesting to know."

"You'd want to talk to Zorua, then," Umbreon noted. "I don't have any special story or anything; I've kinda always been prickly. Probably the music I was obsessed with as a kid."

"No bad experiences? You just choose to be this way?" Lycanroc inquired. After a while, she shrugged. "Okay, that's fair, I guess."

"Well, if you're serious about winning this then we'd better start digging," Umbreon said, resigned to doing work. "Any good at it?"

Lycanroc giggled. "Me and my cousins used to dig pits along the pathway in front of my house just to see if people were paying attention. You wouldn't be surprised at how many cracked their phones or glasses thanks to us."

"Sounds devious. You can take the lead then. I'll take care of the captures," Umbreon said, grabbing a few pokeballs.

"Uh… okay, cool," Lycanroc said as she began digging in the spot she was standing in.

0000

"Alright, I'll go see if there are any Diglett around the front entrance, Slowking, you look after Tsareena," Infernape said as he walked to the front.

Slowking sat down, thinking. "I may have an idea. Can you use sweet scent, Tsareena?"

Tsareena turned to him. "I could, but then again, where'd be the fun in that?"

"Er….so we could win the challenge?" Slowking asked.

"But why would I want you to win?" asked Tsareena.

"Well, you would win as well," Slowking said, trying to sound patient. "We all succeed."

"You didn't answer my question. Why would I want _you_ to win?" she inquired softly, getting close to the Royal Pokemon. "It's obvious that you're a threat. _You_ know that you're a threat, and you're afraid of anyone seeing your lack of self-confidence as a weakness. That little display of petty complaining during the last challenge just showed me who you are. A frightened little bitch who hides behind his 'superior' intellect in an attempt to feel better about his pathetic existence."

Slowking raised an eyebrow. "So Infernape was somehow right about something?"

"I wouldn't say _that_ ," Tsareena responded. "He was correct about my true intellect, _but_ , that buffoon was kind enough to actually try to understand me rather than brush me off as a brainless liability."

"Well, isn't your intention to act like a brainless liability?" Slowking asked. "You clearly managed to fool almost everyone."

"Yes, but I never truly expected to be treated as such," Tsareena replied. "This was majorly a test for me to see who actually has a heart and who will actually care to help someone who seems mentally challenged. As a result of this test, it showed me that here, if you stand in the way of someone and a prize, it doesn't matter your disability. I was eliminated first because no one bothered to help me until it was far too late."

"Well, my apologies for patronizing you," Slowking said, bowing his head. "But why did you choose to tell me specifically?"

"Because I know for a fact that you're the main player that almost everyone from your cast is watching for," Tsareena replied. "And the way that you pleaded desperately so that Tepig didn't win really interested me. Y'see, my test has already been failed by the people on my side, so I'm going to make sure that they learn their lesson. But you, someone with much higher capabilities, complaining about someone finding an easier way to get something done? That's just purely idiotic. Nobody knows my capabilities, and I intend to keep it that way until it's too late."

"I merely found Tepig's loophole unfair," Slowking said with a shrug. "I wouldn't call it pleading per se. Though I wasn't expecting Shuckle to counter my argument."

"I know that _you_ wouldn't call it pleading, but myself, along with the others, saw it as such," Tsareena replied. "The Great Slowking, bitching about unfairness when he has psychic abilities that could help him with anything. You don't get to use them in a single course, so you decide to complain about someone's genetic makeup that allows them to proceed easily. Don't you get that psychic-types have the biggest advantage out of any type? Being able to read minds, levitate on a whim, control other people's movements and thoughts, among much more. But nope, he's a fire-type, he shouldn't be allowed to use his genetic makeup and resistance to lava to help him!"

Tsareena sighed. "Bottom line, Slowking. You're not gonna be winning this challenge. That's the end of that."

Slowking rolled his eyes. "Fine. Think what you will. So I assume you aren't going to put in any effort in helping me?"

Tsareena blinked in response.

Slowking sighed. "Fine then. I'll figure something out by myself. Have fun with your experiments."

Infernape ran over just as Slowking was walking away. "Uh….what's his problem?"

"What's a problem?" Tsareena inquired.

"That's a really nice philosophy to have, Tsareena!" Infernape said.

Tsareena smirked to herself.

 **0000**

" **Of all the nerve…" Slowking muttered. "Still, she's wrong. I WILL win this challenge, at any cost. Hmm...perhaps if I could tip off her true nature to someone on her team I could indirectly take care of her…"**

 **0000**

Outside the cave, Dhelmise was floating along with Tepig and Zorua. Surprisingly, they hadn't been speaking to each other or making quips as of late.

Feeling annoyed in the silence, Dhelmise groaned. "Come on, it can't take that long to find Diglett!"

"Oy! Zorua! Here's an idea!" Tepig said. "You could turn into a REALLY sexy female Diglett and attract all the males."

"Dude, they have Arena Trap. I'm not getting sexually assaulted over a challenge," Zorua growled.

"It'd be more action you'd get from Ampharos," Tepig snorted.

"I-that's-" Zorua stammered. "Shut up, Tepig. Oh hey, the tracker is picking up something."

"Is it detecting an excuse to change the subject?" Tepig asked.

"Why don't you pester Dhelmise for a while?" Zorua snapped. "I thought you'd be bored of me by now."

"I'll never be bored of you," Tepig said. "Dhelmise, who should we vote for when we win?"

"Hmm," Dhelmise started. "Well, I enjoy everyone's company _sooo_ much," he said sarcastically. "But, I say Pyukumuku. His innocent cuteness will drive him further and force a stereotypical underdog story."

"Okay," Tepig said, shrugging. "I don't really care for who leaves in our gang. I think we're trying to take out Munchlax?"

"Well, Scrafty essentially has him wrapped around his finger," Zorua said. "Scrafty wants to get Slowking eliminated. So in good faith I'm making him drop Munchlax."

"Ooh, two underdog stories for the price of one," Dhelmise acknowledged. "Though, I would think that you'd want to get rid of the annoyingly obvious threat that is Slowking. Ignoring him for too long will propel him further. Come to think of it, all of you have a reason to get the hell out. Well, other than Ditto fox here."

"Oh? And do tell why…" Tepig urged.

"Well, let's see…" Dhelmise started. "You've got a bitchy psychic-type who can't handle things not going his way, police brutality, two underdog stories, an idiot who should have _been_ eliminated, a snarker who gets on everyone's nerves, a druggie, male stereotypical 'badass' threat, _female_ stereotypical 'badass' threat, and a wannabe thug who thinks he runs shit. If you're serious about making it further, I suggest you target the big threats or the losers who are trying to convince you to work with them. It'll put them in their place."

Tepig shrugged. "Whatever works, mate-"

"Hold on," Zorua said, batting him aside. "Look, leverage is everything. Sure, Slowking's clearly a threat, but everyone knows that. It's the reason why Scrafty is so desperate for him to leave in the first place. I may not like him in the game, but I'm in the position of power here."

"Yeah, but how long'll that last?" Tepig drawled. "Why not just take out Slowking now instead of dragging him out."

"Well, I've always seen these games like a puzzle, if that makes sense," Zorua said. "Each piece can be put in a perfect place, but if you force it then it'll break. Scrafty is so desperate for Slowking's elimination that he'll do anything in his power to keep me until that happens. Not exactly something I want to waste, you know?"

Tepig uncapped a bottle of milk. "I'm just here for the shits and giggles, love. Do what you will?"

"So, you rather risk yourself getting eliminated due to random circumstance just to keep a singular punk begging for your assistance… instead of trying to gain other allies to take down threats that could likely kick your ass?" Dhelmise inquired. "Alright, whatever. It's _your_ funeral. And I can guarantee that if you drag this out, Scrafty will get tired and get other assistance. Everyone knows Slowking's a threat on your side, so it'd be pretty simple to get other help. And if we win this, _I'm_ gonna take full advantage."

There was silence once Dhelmise made that call, Zorua gave him a glare as he and Tepig forged ahead to search for the Diglett. Suddenly, the tracker began beeping, signifying that there were Diglett underneath them.

"So, can you use your anchor powers to trap them?" Tepig asked.

"We're sorry, but the person that you are trying to get to dig is unable to at the moment," Dhelmise replied. "May I suggest little miss pawn master? She could turn into an Excadrill and dig us a hole.

"My powers don't work like that," Zorua said. "The form I take is always just an illusion."

"Look's like we're going with the original plan!" Tepig said, giving her a saucy wink.

Zorua took a deep breath. "Fine. But I swear to Arceus if I get pregnant I'm going to kill you. And use Dhelmise as the weapon."

"... I have no objections," Dhelmise replied.

"Neither do I," Tepig said. "Go on then. Do it!"

Zorua rolled her eyes. "Let's just get this over with."

She hopped in a hole, already changing her form.

"So, want to get a drink?" Tepig asked.

"Didn't you just drink the Miltank tit juice not that long ago?" Dhelmise inquired.

"Eh, something heavier. I heard there's a really nice Alolan bar at KoniKoni city, where they put the little umbrellas in your drink."

"Meh, no thanks. I don't really drink," Dhelmise replied.

Suddenly, a shriek was heard from inside of the hole, but the two of them shrugged it off.

Zorua burst out of the ground, still in her Diglett form, sprinting away as fast as she could before dozens of them began popping out from the ground. "I USED THE WRONG FORM AND THEY THINK I'M FROM A RIVAL GANG!"

"...Did you know they have feet?" Tepig asked, a split second before he was overcome by the stampede of Diglett...

Dhelmise floated upwards, watching the chaos. He started to whistle as he floated their back of pokeballs to himself. "Sad. So so sad," he said as he started dumping the balls out on the stampeding Diglett.

A good majority of the balls actually hit the Diglett, fourteen to be exact. After that, the Sea Creeper saw that the stampede had stopped and they were now beating up on Tepig, as Zorua returned back to her normal form. The fox approached him, panting and growling.

"Ow...shit….damn...why are they hitting me? You're the one that insulted their cultural norms," Tepig groaned.

Zorua chuckled. "You're great bait, Tepig. Keep up the good work."

Dhelmise picked up the remaining six balls and tossed them at more of the Diglett. "We need more balls. Fetch, foxy."

Zorua growled as she started heading back to gather more pokeballs.

Tepig groaned, rising to his feet. "It's lovely to have supportive friends."

"Sure, whatever you say," Dhelmise replied.

 **0000**

" **You know, for a nasty snarker, Dhelmise isn't really that bad," Zorua admitted. "He's surprisingly helpful."**

 **0000**

Incineroar lifted up an abandoned cart to check underneath it. He acknowledged that there was a singular burrow underneath it. Gallade had been searching nearby, while Scrafty was just smoking while watching the two. Or what he called 'supervising'.

"Hey! I wound a burrow over here!" Incineroar called. The two others moved toward him in interest.

"Blech," Scrafty said. "You two still smell like spoiled milk. Take a shower or something."

"Oh, my apologies. I didn't mean to offend your senses with the odor of something that was part of the last challenge," Incineroar replied brashly. "And sorry, but we can't take showers right now during the second challenge, but if we could, I would _happily_ do so."

"It's okay, I forgive you," Scrafty said, snickering. "Anyway, you guys are going about this challenge all wrong."

"How so?" Gallade asked in a low voice.

"We're already at a major disadvantage because two of the teams have trackers, yeah?" Scrafty said. "Well, we don't need trackers to go the same route as the people tracking them."

"Hmm, so you expect me to follow either a team with a good friend or a jackass, both of whom will realize what's going on?" Incineroar responded, folding his arms. "It sounds like a decent plan, but seriously. They could lead us down a shitty path for all we know."

"Look, I know it's not exactly morally sound, but we're in the late game," Scrafty said. "We're going to have to get our hands dirty if we really want to go all the way. Tell you what, if you don't want to sneak attack them then we can just challenge them formally."

Gallade shrugged. "Victini DID say it was a part of the challenge…"

Incineroar rolled his eyes. "Fine. We can go back out and go after Dhelmise and his team."

"Fair enough," Scrafty said. "How good is Dhelmise in a fight, anyway?"

"I don't know. I don't think I've ever seen him battle," Incineroar replied with a shrug. "He may be able to verbally kick your ass, but physically, it's pretty iffy."

"Then we'd better get going if we want to find them," Scrafty said. "Usually I just follow Tepig's squealing."

"They didn't go anywhere, so we just have to walk back outside…" Incineroar replied.

The three of them started heading back to the exit of the tunnel, passing by a few other teams, whoupon seeing them, turned away with their collected Diglett. As they approached the exit, where the ground was royally cracked to shit, Scrafty couldn't help but feel eyes staring at him from behind.

"Charizard? Fuck off…" Scrafty stated.

Charizard flew over and landed next to the three of them. "Where are you three going? I don't see any Diglett on you."

"All of our pokeballs are still in the bag," Incineroar said, gesturing to the bag on his back. "And you're right, we haven't found any Diglett yet. That's why we're going outside. Having almost every team in here makes things difficult."

Charizard nodded. "I'm right behind you then. I haven't caught as many as I thought I would have."

"Whatever, just stay out of our way," Scrafty muttered.

 **0000**

" **What a boring challenge," Gallade said, shaking his head. "We spent two hours searching for Tepig and we never found them. And Scrafty slipped off, so who knows what he got into."**

 **0000**

Pyukumuku and Shuckle, after twenty more minutes passed, finally made it back to Diglett's Tunnel. Pyukumuku was noticeably out of breath, which Shuckle took note of.

"Um… are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah… I'm okay..." Pyukumuku replied, sweating. "It's a shame that we wasted time getting back here, though."

"Aw, it's okay," Shuckle replied, petting his head as he got out of his wagon. "Now, let's find those Diglett!"

The two of them entered the tunnel and saw numerous holes spread across the entire front part of the cave before heading back out.

"I really wish Munchlax would tell me what he's planning," Shuckle groused. "At least it isn't Bidoof though. "Seriously though, are you okay? You want to sit in the wagon for a while?"

"No, no, it's okay," Pyukumuku wheezed. "I wanna help."

"You've helped us already by getting us the sweet tracker," Shuckle said. "Besides, I'll need your throwing arm for the Diglett."

Pyukumuku nodded as the two began to go into the tunnel. However, Pyukumuku realized something. "What, where _is_ the tracker?"

"Ohhhhh crap!" Shuckle groaned, slamming his head against the wagon. "MUNCHLAX!"

Pyukumuku sighed. "Well, I guess we won't be winning anything."

"Chill guys! I have arrived!"

Munchlax was driving forward in a….

"I got a fuckin' bulldozer!" Munchlax said, sitting inside of the large, yellow piece of equipment. "Who's your best friend?"

"Yeah, but how are we going to get it in the tunnel?" Shuckle asked.

Munchlax blinked. "Oh. Shit."

Shuckle rubbed his forehead in exhaustion. "Oi vey."

0000

Hakamo-o and Lucario decided to exit the cave for a while and ended up collecting three more Diglett in the process. The entire time, the two engaged in awkward silence, occasionally eyeing each other as they did specific tasks like moving rocks or picking up pokeballs.

"Am I the only one who feels like we're falling behind?" Lucario asked, whipping a ball at a retreating Diglett, catching it at a curve.

"I don't know," Hakamo-o said as she went to retrieve the ball. "I mean, I think we have a decent amount so far. I'm not sure how I feel about other teams suddenly deciding to come out, too, but maybe this is a sign."

"Yeah, but they have these bullshit trackers. Nice job beating Tepig's time by the way," Lucario said as an afterthought.

"Thanks," Hakamo-o replied as she placed the ball back into their bag. "Years and years of training. I love and hate how that's my explanation for everything."

"Hey wait," Lucario said. "I think I sense something metal under there. Something really big."

"Under where?" Hakamo-o asked, looking down at her feet. "The ground or the rocks?"

"Ground, I think," Lucario said, focusing. "Wait, is that a spoon? A really big spoo-"

A psychic force slammed her into Hakamo-o, bowling them both over. Slowking approached, looking guilty.

"I'm sorry about this, but I REALLY need this challenge win."

With a swish of his fingers, their pokeballs flew into his hands. "I promise not to eliminate you when I win."

He teleported away.

"What the hell hit me?" Lucario groaned, before realizing she was lying on Hakamo-o's chest. With a strangled cry she jumped away.

Hakamo-o groaned, rubbing her head. "It was that bastard Slowking. He said that he needed the win," she explained, dusting herself off before looking at Lucario, who was blushing a _very_ deep shade of crimson. "Uh… are you okay?"

"I-uh….y-yeah," Lucario said, her voice cracking. "Wait, where are all the Poke balls?"

"The bastard took them and teleported away," Hakamo-o growled, clenching her fists, looking back at the tunnel entrance. "We need to get back in there and get them back. Ugh! Where the hell is Charizard!? He's supposed to be helping us!"

Lucario was still blushing, looking over Hakamo-o's body from a distance.

"I COME WHEN MY NAME IS CALLED! OH SHIT!" Charizard dropped Mr. Pineapple, and it bonked Hakamo-o on the head.

Hakamo-o groaned, holding the stuffed toy with a peeved expression. "Where the hell have you been this whole time?!"

"Flying around. I got some Diglett," Charizard said, tossing about a dozen pokeballs. "How's your progress?"

"FUCKING ZERO APPARENTLY!" Lucario snarled.

Charizard gaped. "What?"

"Slowking knocked us over and stole our pokeballs," Hakamo-o growled, folding her arms.

"Well, he can't have gone fucking far, can he?" Charizard asked. "He's not exactly a fast Pokemon."

"He teleported away, so he's either back in there or he's hiding somewhere to wait until the challenge is over," Hakamo-o replied.

"There's no use finding him then, is there?" Lucario asked. "Bastard must have used the spoon to distract me. Do we have any point of winning at this point?"

"With just twelve?" Hakamo-o questioned. "I don't know. Unless someone else sucked completely, we probably have no chance. How much time do we have left?"

Charizard looked down at his watch and swore. "Forty minutes. Ugh, it's over. This place has been thoroughly searched by almost all of us!"

"Well…" Hakamo-o started. "They _did_ say that sabotage was allowed, right? Slowking just did it to us, so..."

"Assuming we can find him," Lucario muttered. "Who was allied with him again?"

"Tsareena and Infernape," Hakamo-o reminded.

"Okay, so pushovers?" Charizard asked. "Tsareena didn't seem very...er...self aware."

"And Infernape is a dunce, albeit a big hearted one," Lucario said. "If we find him we can at the very least make sure he does not win."

Hakamo-o nodded. "Come on…"

The three of them entered the tunnel again in order to locate Slowking, Infernape, and Tsareena.

Slowking sat on top of the tunnel, watching them enter. "It's about time I stopped pulling my punches."

Focusing his mind, he closed the tunnel off with a barrier. "This won't be the day I leave."

 **0000**

" **I essentially used my psychic powers to steal the Poke balls from everyone," Slowking said. "I thought Incineroar was going to throttle me when I stole from him."**

 **0000**

"So, you've never been d'ed down before?" Umbreon inquired. "Jeez. I thought that you were a party girl…"

Lycanroc blushed. "Hey, I just haven't felt comfortable with anyone yet."

"You wanna know a secret?" Umbreon asked, making sure Parasect wasn't nearby. "I haven't either. I'm just surprised we share the same reason."

"Wow, hehe," Lycanroc giggled. "I would've thought you'd be more willing. No offense or anything."

"Uh? Just the opposite?" Umbreon drawled. "I'm not letting some snotty boy touch me."

"Oh… so you're-" she started.

"That's Shuckle," Umbreon said, shaking her head. "I'm just a grumpy bitch."

"So you don't think you can find a guy that likes that?" Lycanroc queried as she overturned another rock in the tunnel. "I'm sure that I know a dozen of guys around my neighborhood that'd love a girl like you."

"I mean a grumpy bitch with high standards and a low libido," Umbreon corrected. "I don't really like physical contact much. There was one boy I liked back in high school. I broke his arm. That's my way of showing affection."

"Well, having a low libido isn't that bad," Lycanroc replied. "And the breaking his arm thing just seems like something a child would do to show affection to someone. So, what's your type of guy?"

"How the hell are you getting me to spill like this?" Umbreon asked. "You're horribly good natured. Reminds me of another guy I know."

"I'm not doing anything. I guess I just make people feel comfortable," Lycanroc said with a shrug as they approached Infernape and Tsareena, who were sitting and staring at a corner of the tunnel. "Uh…"

"Hey Infernape," Umbreon said, her feelings towards him slightly uplifted since the intensity of the last challenge. "How's my fellow Tinkerbell doing?"

Infernape grinned up at her. "Great! I have like….eight Diglett! Hi Lycanroc!"

The she-wolf waved back at him. "So um… how're things with Tsareena?"

"Well, uh… she hasn't exactly done anything except stand around and blink…." Infernape said. "But they're REALLY cute blinks. I'm sure she's just getting into the right mood!"

Lycanroc giggled and nodded. "Nice."

Umbreon chuckled. "At least she's quiet and not intrusive. She won me over already."

"Yeah, she's a pretty cool girl," said Lycanroc. "Still not sure about why she acts the way she does, but, hey, she's not bothering anyone."

Suddenly, Hakamo-o, Lucario, and Charizard entered the scene upon gaining sight of Infernape and Tsareena.

"Whoa! Hey!" Infernape waved. "Whole get together going on here!"

"Someone kill me," Umbreon groaned.

"Where's… Slowking?" Hakamo-o growled. "That bastard stole all of our pokeballs. Minus the ones, Charizard got us."

"Was it badass?" Infernape whispered.

"Infernape… now is NOT the time!" Lucario growled.

"Really?" Umbreon asked. "Because I'm really enjoying myself right now."

"It was badass, admittedly," Charizard said.

"YOU WEREN'T EVEN THERE!" Lucario roared.

"IF YOU'D JUST CAME BACK AND STUCK AROUND, MAYBE IT WOULDN'T HAVE EVEN HAPPENED!" Hakamo-o roared.

"Mom, dad, please stop fighting," Infernape whimpered.

The two angry females exchanged looks before blushing and looking away from each other.

"Okay, sexual tension twins aside," Charizard grumbled, stomping past them. "Tell me where Slowking is or I follow his footsteps."

"I-I don't know!" Infernape said. "We split up and by the time I came back he was storming off. Maybe Tsareena said something mean?"

"Tsareena couldn't string a sentence together!" Charizard snapped. "Now where the hell is he?!"

"C'mon, dumbass," Umbreon said. "Maybe if you stopped thinking out of your ass you wouldn't be so behind all the time. You think INFERNAPE would agree to sabotage someone?"

Charizard's tail slammed on the ground. "Ohohoho no! You are the LAST person I'm taking shit from today, Umbreon!"

"Oh this should be good," Umbreon drawled. "What are you going to do about it, dragon turd?"

Infernape nudged Lycanroc. "I feel like we should be preventing this from escalating."

"Yeah," Lycanroc said, getting between the two. "I don't think this is going to help _anything_ right now, guys. Let's just try to move on and be adults about this."

"Not my fault he can't take criticism," Umbreon snorted. "Or bitches when he doesn't get his way."

"Shut up, Umbreon!" Charizard growled.

"Sylveon told me how much of a control freak you are!" Umbreon chuckled, but there was a bitter edge to her voice. "How they let a psychopath like you into the police is a mystery."

"SHUT UP!"

Infernape was desperately trying to pull Charizard back as he pawed the ground. Lucario and Hakamo-o merely gaped at the scene, while Lycanroc was tapping her foot rapidly, feeling a bit tense about the scene.

"Seriously, you make Parasect look like a follower!" Umbreon said, still laughing. "Thank god everyone can see your actions on television. After watching the footage, they'll probably take away your badge-"

"GRAAAH!" Charizard roared, elbowing Infernape so hard in the face that he toppled over, falling into Tsareena. He flew forward at high speeds, slamming his tail into Lycanroc and sending her flying. Umbreon only had a moment to widen her eyes before his hand was gripped tight around her neck and he slammed her into the wall.

Umbreon tried not to cry out in pain, but Charizard snarled at her, his face an inch away from her own. "What do you want to say now, Umbreon? Any more back talk?"

Despite the situation, Umbreon managed to force a choked laugh. "You're fucking screwed after this competition, asshole."

Charizard raised a Mega Punch, but before he could, a green powder descended over him. Groaning, he flopped over and fell asleep.

Parasect looked over him distastefully. "Dreadful, simply dreadful! No coordination or strategy, merely aggressive nonsense! I was always the better leader!"

Umbreon let out a gasp. "I uh...thanks, Parasect!"

"Do not thank me!" Parasect snapped. "If you had followed my plan, you wouldn't be in this situation in the first place! Also! How dare you claim that Charizard is more controlling than me? This is the great Parasect we are talking about, and Parasect will take credit where it is due! Now apologize for your blasphemy!"

Umbreon groaned. "Don't push it. You guys all right?"

Infernape was still lying on top of Tsareena. "Why is my nose purple?"

"Wait, where's Lycanroc?!" Hakamo-o asked, looking around and not seeing the wolf anywhere.

0000

Lycanroc was sitting outside on the other side of the tunnel, holding her knees as she stared down at the ground.

"Uh...Lycanroc?" Pyukumuku questioned. "Are you okay?"

"Hey, we're not going to have to pay for the giant hole we made in Diglett's tunnel, are we?" Munchlax asked, pointing behind him. The tunnel had been completely destroyed behind the bulldozer.

Lycanroc didn't respond. She seemed to be in a daze, almost as if she was going to cry.

 **0000**

" **She looked so scared," Munchlax mumbled. "What happened back there?"**

 **0000**

"CONTESTANTS! TIME IS UP! IT'S TIME TO SEE WHO WINS!" Solgaleo's voice projected from his location.

"Splendid," Shuckle groaned. "Let's head back."

Shuckle and Pyukumuku hopped onto the bulldozer, with Pyukumuku noticing that Lycanroc wasn't moving.

"Lycanroc? You coming?" he asked in concern.

Hearing his voice this time, Lycanroc sniffled, looking up a bit. "N-no. I'm okay," she said getting back onto her feet. "I'm just gonna head back to the hotel and rest a bit. Okay?"

Shuckle gave a sheepish grin. "You want a ride?"

"No thanks," she replied, rising to her feet. She started heading back to the hotel, hugging herself. Pyukumuku couldn't help but feel more concerned; it felt like Drampa all over again, only without the constant barrage of hate.

"I can't tell if we should follow her or not," Munchlax whispered. "She looks like she's hiding a wound."

"Come on," Pyukumuku said, not willing to let her just walk away like that. It was so out of character for her to even be upset!"

"At the very least, we have a good haul," Shuckle said, nodding at his bag of Poke balls. "Turns out a bulldozer is great for scooping up Diglett. And Victini never specified a time limit for when we had to get back there."

"Uh… they literally just told us to come back," Munchlax pointed out.

"It 's okay. You guys can go. I'll talk to her," Pyukumuku replied as he hopped off of the bulldozer and after Lycanroc.

Shuckle and Munchlax exchanged glances.

"I don't feel good about this," Munchlax admitted.

"Well, hopefully Pyukumuku can handle it," Shuckle said. "We better get back. There's a good chance we could actually pull this off and eliminate Scrafty!"

Munchlax nodded, driving the bulldozer forwards. Underneath the vehicle, Scrafty grinned and winked at the camera, whistling _Heigh Ho_ under his breath.

 **0000**

 **Scrafty was sporting a black eye. "Didn't know the the little shit had it in him."**

 **0000**

"So, uh….think we have a good chance of winning?" Munchlax asked.

"I'd say so," Shuckle said. "Though I suppose how long it took us to take going might be a factor."

"You really want to eliminate Scrafty?" Munchlax asked, looking conflicted.

"Yeah, duh," Shuckle said, rolling his eyes. "He's evil, remember?"

"C'mon man, prove it!" Munchlax said.

"Oh, I will," Scrafty said, appearing in between both of them. Before Munchlax could react, Scrafty had sucker punched him in the jaw and sent him flying.

"Munchlax!" Shuckle cried, before rolling to the side to avoid an attack from Scrafty. The hoodlum kicked at Shuckle's stash, sending Poke balls flying in every direction.

"No!" Shuckle cried, before shooting a string shot. Scrafty ducked out of the way and kicked Shuckle over the edge of the bulldozer. Shuckle managed to catch himself, but Scrafty pressed his cigarette stub down into his arm, and Shuckle could feel his flesh burning…

Munchlax jumped out of nowhere, punching Scrafty in the face and bowling them both over the side of the bulldozer. "Shuckle! Go and bring the remainder back to Victini. We still have a chance, so hurry! I'll hold him off."

Shuckle leaned back. "Munchlax, I can't-"

Munchlax ran forward and body slammed the still surprised Scrafty into the ground. "I'm fine, see. Now win this thing!"

Shuckle nodded reluctantly and drove off.

Scrafty wiped the blood off his mouth. "So you finally picked a side, huh?"

"Hell yeah, I did," Munchlax said, steeling his nerves. "You may not be an evil person in my eyes, but that doesen't change the fact that you don't deserve to win! Shuckle's my real friend, it's time I actually started putting some faith in him."

Scrafty sneered. "Then take some 'faith' in knowing that I'm going to beat the holy hell out of you."

As he walked forward, Munchlax considered running.

 _No,_ Munchlax decided. _No more running._ It was time to finally stand up for something in his worthless life.

"No way, no how!" Munchlax said. "I'm not going to lose anymore!"

 **0000**

 **Munchlax was covered in bruises and he was wearing a sling. "I lost pretty bad…"**

 **0000**

Almost everyone made it back to the final area. Some wore larger smiles than others, while others had angry expressions plastered on their face. The hosts, seeing this, were very confused.

"Uh, should we ask why Charizard is unconscious?" asked Lunala, seeing the sleeping dragon.

Parasect chuckled. "MY TACTICS RENDERED HIM IN THIS STATE!"

"Did Munchlax get back yet?" Shuckle said nervously. "He was holding off Scrafty a while ago and I haven't seen him since."

"No, I think the better question is where's Lycanroc," Hakamo-o growled, folding her arms. "I haven't seen her since that bullshit happened in the tunnel."

"What HAPPENED in the tunnel?!" Shuckle snapped. "Lycanroc looked awful when we found her. Pyukumuku went to comfort her."

"WHAT?!" Hakamo-o and Incineroar exclaimed. Hakamo-o glared at Charizard's unconscious form. "This fucking BASTARD!" she exclaimed, kicking him in the head.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, will someone explain what the hell happened in there and why my best friend is apparently hurt?!" Incineroar snarled, clenching his fists.

"I got hurt too, in case anyone cared," Infernape sniffed, holding a cloth over his nose.

"We don't," Umbreon drawled. "Look, it was my fault.

"What did you do?" Incineroar growled, glaring daggers at the Moonlight Pokemon.

"I instigated Charizard and he snapped. He accidentally knocked Lycanroc in the way of getting me."

"Wow, sounds like everything exciting happened to everyone except us," Tepig said. "Besides me getting kicked the shit out of by some pissed off Diglett."

"So my friend is hurt because of you? But most importantly, because of _this_ sorry bastard?" Incineroar growled, approaching Charizard's unconscious form.

"Umbreon, you're laying it too thin. You know damn well that wasn't an accident. He _intentionally_ elbowed Infernape and knocked Lycanroc away so that he could get at you," Lucario stated. "That's bullshit and you know it."

"Charizard has anger issues! Look, I am the last person that wants to defend him, but I wanted him angry in the first place. He'll probably feel horrible about it later," Umbreon said. "Look, Incineroar, be mad at me if anyone. I'm as much to blame as he is."

"Anger issues or not, that bastard shouldn't have but any part of himself on Lycanroc," Incineroar growled. He turned to the hosts. "Just tell us who fucking won so I can go check on her…"

Victini looked over his notes. "Uh….well, shit Shuckle. Tough luck for you. You would have had the highest if Scrafty didn't sabotage you on the way back."

Shuckle gritted his teeth.

"Anyway, the winner is Slow-"

"I don't want it," Slowking said, folding his arms.

Infernape blinked. "Dude, what?"

"Give the immunity to Infernape and Tsareena, but not me," Slowking said. "I was out of line, and I caused enough problems. I stole from all your supplies and indirectly or not, I helped set off Charizard's rage out of desperation. I-I want everyone to know that it isn't me. "

Victini shrugged. "Sorry Slowking, but if you're disqualifying yourself then you're disqualifying the team."

"Dude, come oooooon!" Infernape groaned.

"Sorry Infernape and Tsareena. Uh….well the next in line is Tepig, Dhelmise, and Zorua."

"Ha! Didn't get my shit kicked in for nothing! That's how I play!" Tepig boasted.

"Where the hell were you two?" Gallade asked. "Incineroar and I looked everywhere."

"That's for me to know and you to suck on, ya blue footed boobie!" Tepig said.

"Well, looks like we have our winners, so, as Lunala said earlier, you get to choose who leaves from each cast," Solgaleo said. "And be sure to make the choice that you think will be _beneficial_ for the opposing cast or at least decent."

"So, Dhelmise, who's going from my cast?" Victini inquired.

"Munchlax," Dhelmise said nonchalantly.

There was a shared gasp of shock and anger among everyone. After hearing what had gone done in the cave… and how a few others were hurt, he decides to go...for MUNCHLAX?

"No. No, no, no, no, no," Shuckle said, grabbing and rubbing his head. "N-not again. Dhelmise _please-"_

"Sorry buddy boy. No underdog story for your friend," Dhelmise replied.

"Once again, Dhelmise proves that he's a complete jackass without a lick of empathy," Lunala remarked. "Anyway, Tepig and Zorua, who's leaving from _our_ cast?"

Zorua looked down. "Can I change my answer?"

"If you do, I'm changing mine, too," Dhelmise glared. "We had a _deal_."

"WHAT KIND OF DEAL!" Shuckle cried out. "Zorua, you changed! I know you did! Don't do this now! What would Ampharos do in this situation!"

Zorua looked like a deer caught in headlights. "I-I-"

"We vote Pyukumuku," Tepig said, looking devoid of emotion. "And it was my choice, not hers. So don't get mad at her."

Shuckle was at a loss for words. "I-I'm finding Munchlax."

He crawled off as fast as his legs could carry him.

"Dude, let me help you out!" Infernape shouted.

"Leave me alone!"

There was an awkward silence once Shuckle disappeared into the cave.

"Well, this was an eventful crossover, I'd say," Dhelmise said with a sigh. "I'll be back at the hotel."

He disappeared from view, leaving the others to wallow in pity and anger.

"Well, uh… hmm," Solgaleo stated, unsure about what to really do. "I… guess this episode's over."

Victini was wiping away a tear. "Y-yeah."

"Is young Victini crying?" Hariyama asked.

"No, I just have something in my eye!" Victini yelped.

"Well, everyone get back to the hotel," Lunala said, sounding a bit saddened herself. "Congrats to our final five and Victini's final ten."

"I don't think I like this game anymore," Infernape said.

 **0000**

" **Sheesh," Gallade said. "And I thought I was the edgy one."**

 **0000**

"MUCHLAX!" Shuckle shouted coming upon the same spot he had left his friend. Munchlax was lying on his back, moaning, while Scrafty was a little ways away, smoking as usual.

"What did you do to him!?" Shuckle snapped.

"Nothing he didn't deserve," Scrafty said cooly, pointing to his black eye. "Who was eliminated?"

Seeing the look on Shuckle's face, Scrafty broke into laughter. "That's ironic!"

"You're done, Scrafty," Shuckle vowed. "I WILL eliminate you, whether I win or not!"

Scrafty rolled his eyes. "You can try your best, Shuckle. But what really makes you different without your little alliance slaves to back up your brain. You're just dead weight."

He turned and left, leaving Shuckle seething after him.

"Hey, it's okay," Munchlax said. "I don't regret anything. I'm just happy that I can leave kn-knowing the truth, you know?"

"I'm sorry," Shuckle said. "I should've protected you better, just like everyone in the alliance."

"You're thinking about it wrong, dude," Munchlax said. "Player 1 may be out of time, but Player 2 still has all three lives."

Shuckle chuckled. "I'm going to miss your gaming metaphors."

"You'll win, Shuckle," Munchlax said, as Shuckle helped him up. "I know you will. Some people just aren't the losing sort."

 **0000**

" **It was luck and Shuckle's strategy that kept me in this long," Munchlax admitted. "But I still had one hell of a time. It would have been nice to make it to the top ten, but at least one of us made it."**

 **0000**

"You look like a war survivor, mate," Tepig said. "Plusle won't be able to keep her hands off you."

"Haha, thanks, Tepig," Munchlax said, as he boarded the boat.

"You were a great friend, Munchlax," Lucario shouted. "Shame it was your turn to leave!"

Shuckle didn't say anything. He just waved as the last of his alliance disappeared over the ocean blue.

Victini walked over. "It's been a stressful day for everyone, but congratulations. You are officially the top ten competitors of Total Pokkemon Island."

Nobody looked particularly happy. Lucario had her arms folded, Gallade looked surlier than usual, and Charizard had his head in his hands, looking thoroughly miserable.

"You guys have the week off to relax. After this, prepare for the final stretch," Victini said. "Have a good night."

 **0000**

 **Slowking shook his head, looking into his reflection. "What even am I anymore?"**

 **0000**

 **Shuckle took a shaky breath. "Here we go."**

 **0000**

"Why?" Zorua asked, as she knew nobody could see her. "Why did you lie? It was NOT your idea to vote off Pyukumuku!"

Tepig shook his head. "They didn't need to know that, love. They're looking for excuses to eliminate you."

"Then I should have! And how is you taking the blame any better?" Zorua protested.

Barely visible in the cool night, Tepig gave her a sad smile. "I'm the cocky asshole that loves to screw people over. It's what they expect out of me. You're so much more than that. I'm not going to let them recreate the monster that they thought you were. Why do you even care about me so-"

Zorua pulled him into a tight hug, sniffling over his shoulder. "Because I love you, you idiot."

Tepig sighed, patting her on the back. "Not the first time that phrase has been used on me."

They sat like that for a while.

"We have to go after Slowking now," Zorua mumbled. "I made a deal with Scrafty."

"That's okay sheila, save that for a later day. For now just try to relax and enjoy the vacation, savvy?"

0000

Charizard sat alone near a campfire, clutching Mr. Pineapple. He had done it again. Infernape's nose was broken, Umbreon had nearly been choked out, and something happened to Lycanroc…

"She's right," Charizard mumbled. "They WILL take the badge away. Of course I'm a monster."

He'd lose everything. So that only meant there was one option available.

"I can't lose."

He released a jet of fire, setting Mr. Pineapple aflame. He tossed whatever was left into the campfire.

He clutched his mega stone. "No matter the cost."

0000

WOW, LONGEST CHAPTER EVER! We're FINALLY at the top ten!

I'm so tired, so I won't say much. Let's give a big hand to Dark Arcanine for the awesome collab.

I hope to be writing the next chapter soon.

Munchlax: Good reviews are like good food!


	28. Chapter 28: A Summer Special to Remember

0000

"Unacceptable," a Bisharp said, flicking off the television in front of him. "A week-long vacation? I have made enough delays."

He was sitting on a couch in a very fancy room, his feet propped up on a table. Serving him were three different Pawniard, looking terrified of the consequences of doing something wrong.

One cleared his throat. "But sir! You're counting on this money! What are you-"

"No, I _have_ spent far too much time on Gallade to cut ties now," Bisharp mused. "I'll be forced to…. shorten the process. I'm sure Gallade will be grateful."

The Pawniard exchanged a look. What was their boss planning?

"Bring me the girl," Bisharp said. "There are some matters that involve her."

A Pawniard darted off immediately, and Bisharp took some time to consume the pizza served to him.

He spat it out. "WHAT!? WHO POLLUTED MY MEAL WITH DISGUSTING PINEAPPLES! I want the main chef executed at once!"

"But Pineapple adds such zest to the flavor!" someone piped up. Bisharp whirled around to see a Kirlia as she was dragged into the room.

"I now realize that Yveltal did nothing wrong and Pokemon deserve the genocide of their species for creating something so heinous," Bisharp growled. "Alolan pizza is an affront to any respected pizza connoisseur."

Kirlia giggled. "You show such passion on the subject; it's so cute!"

"I AM NOT CUTE!" Bisharp snarled. "YOU ARE A HOSTAGE!"

"But everyone's so nice to me!" Kirlia said. "I get good, quality pineapple pizza-"

"Take her away," Bisharp snapped, and Kirlia happily walked away. "Cute kid, but dumb as a sack of bricks."

"So, what is the plan, sir?" Pawniard asked.

"I think it's about time we took desperate measures," Bisharp said, a cold smirk appearing on his face. "Let's see if we can make Victini squirm."

0000

The weather in Alola was beautiful as always, and the cast was having a nice beach day. Umbreon and Scrafty were napping on towels, Dhelmise and Tepig were sharing embarrassing stories about each other's casts and good mocking points, while Zorua looked on in horror.

Infernape was lathering Tsareena with sunscreen, as she apparently couldn't do it herself, and Slowking was fast asleep on a raft in the ocean. Shuckle and Lycanroc were quietly talking amongst themselves, both looking thoroughly miserable, and Hakamo-o and Lucario were playing games in the water. Incineroar was showing Gallade some of his wrestling holds, and occasionally shot glares at Charizard, who didn't even bother coming to the beach.

Victini faced the camera with a wide grin. "It's been twenty seven episodes, folks, and we're at the final stretch. After grueling challenges, rough environments, great drama, shocking eliminations, and terrible betrayals, we've arrived at our top ten. Charizard, Gallade, Infernape, Lucario, Scrafty, Slowking, Shuckle, Tepig, Umbreon, and Zorua have proven themselves to be true survivors. Like seriously, look at how many times Tepig's been beat up. Or how Infernape's still in the game somehow."

He sniffed. "Or how poor Shuckle lost all of his friends. Keep it together, Victini."

He composed himself. "So right now, our remaining campers are taking a well earned break, while we catch up on some of our old friends; the campers who didn't quite make it-"

"I AM HERE AS WELL!" Parasect said, jumping in the way. "I am also at this prestigious location!"

Victini groaned. "Yes. For some reason, Parasect didn't go on the boat ride with Munchlax last chapter, and he's here too. Now scram."

He kicked the bug type away with a sigh. "So it's time for some nostalgia folks, because it's time to take a blast to the-"

He was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. "Now? Of all times? Cut the camera."

He fished for his cell phone, before pressing it to his ear. "Hello? This is Victini speaking, and I'm a bit busy, so if you could call back-"

" _I'm only going to say this once,"_ the voice drawled on the other end. _"End your shitty show and give the money to Gallade, or we'll have to take a uh…let's call it a personal interest in your wellbeing."_

"Who the hell is this?" Victini snapped, his eyebrow furrowing.

" _ColdSteel. Heard of us? You've heard our terms, now it's your turn to meet your end of the bargain. I'll let the consequences be up for your interpretation."_

"H-hold on, you can't-"

" _Click."_

Victini gaped at his phone. "What the hell just happened?"

0000

"You smell really nice, Tsareena!" Infernape said, as he passed her a Komala Coffee that she dropped immediately.

Slowking merely rolled his eyes from his place sitting in front of them.

"Did you use sweet scent or something?" Infernape asked. "Because it has this like….floral-"

"No, she DID NOT USE SWEET SCENT!" Slowking growled, slamming his fist on the table.

Infernape jumped. "You okay dude?"

Slowking gritted his teeth as Tsareena winked at him. "I-I'm fine. Just a little on edge today."

"UH GUYS!" Victini's voice sounded over the megaphone. "EMERGANCY! I NEED YOU ALL OVER TO MEET AT THE CAFETERIA!"

"I'm not going!" Umbreon shouted. "I'm taking a nap!"

0000

Victini was dialing a number on his cellphone.

"Hey, Manaphy? Can you help me with something?"

" _Sorry, Victini. Phione wandered off again. I can't find him anywhere. Good luck!"_

Victini groaned. "Fine. Shaymin."

He dialed the number quickly. "Shaymin, I could really use some-"

" _I AM THE CONDUCTOR OF THE MEAT TRAIN!"_

"Wait, what? Who the hell is-"

" _Click."_

"Me dammit, stop hanging up!" Victini snarled. "Uh…. maybe Nihilego can help?"

His call was met with a horrible sounding noise that shattered Victini's eardrums. "OW! HEY! WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU HARBORING!?"

Victini hung up, before taking a deep breath. "Okay, this is fine. This is fine. Let's see if Yveltal can help."

When he called, a panicked voice answered. "PLEASE! HELP US! YVELTAL HAS US TRAPPED AND HE'S HAVING US KILL EACH OTHER! HURRY! SAVE US-AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Victini hung up again. "Jesus Christ, what is wrong with all my friends?"

He flopped down. "Well, it can't be helped. Legendary code prevents us from interfering with normal Pokemon's lives. Outside of this show of course. If only there was a super powered normal Pokemon that could…."

He snapped his fingers. "Hariyama! Hariyama can destroy ColdSteel for sure!"

0000

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T DESTROY COLDSTEEL!" Victini shouted.

Hariyama was packing his bags. "Hariyama keeps telling you. Is having great party with old Alola comrades."

"Well, then cancel!" Victini shouted. "Our show is in grave danger!"

"This was planned three weeks in advance," Hariyama said. "No way, no how."

"B-but what do I do?" Victini asked as Hariyama finished packing and prepared to leave.

Hariyama shrugged. "Go to war? Young Victini has cast of characters at disposal, yes?"

As he walked off, Victini thought to himself. "That isn't a bad idea…...say…."

0000

"So, _what_ are we doing?" Lucario asked, folding her arms. "I thought you said we had a week to ourselves!"

The top ten campers (and Parasect) were in a speedboat, driven by Victini. Most of them were annoyed that they actually had something to do.

"Well, uh….maybe Gallade wants to explain!" Victini said, pointing to the green Pokemon.

Gallade's single eye widened. "What?"

"Apparently ColdSteel, one of the most notorious crime organizations, wanted me to quit the show and just give you the money. Want to explain that?" Victini asked.

Gallade narrowed his eye. "I…wait they contacted you?"

"Yeah!" Victini snapped. "Nobody threatens the victory Pokemon and gets away with it. Now, stop trying to change the subject!"

Gallade groaned. "I guess there's no point in hiding it now. They have my sister hostage, and I essentially joined the show to be able to win the money they wanted in exchange."

"WHAT!?" Shuckle shouted. "Dude, why did you keep this quiet?"

Gallade sighed. "Because they have leverage over me. I still told Grovyle and Ivysaur, but…. well you know what happened to them."

"Well campers, I see only one options!" Victini said. "We are going to war! Or uh…you guys are. We're heading to our special loser's resort at Seafolk village."

"Wait, WAR!?" Zorua shouted. "We've never agreed to this!"

Victini shook his head. "Actually-"

"You are a fool Zorua, for you haven't read the contract thoroughly enough," Parasect tutted. "It's page three, paragraph four. _If ever a situation arises that demands a draft, I understand that I am liable to become a soldier in my host's name."_

"Wait, you MEMORIZED the contract and STILL signed it?" Zorua protested.

"But of course," Parasect said, politely puzzled.

"Oh, Parasect," Zorua said, rubbing her face in exasperation.

"In other words, your asses are mine already!" Victini said. "Ready to topple organized crime?"

"Well, apparently we don't have a choice," Charizard said, rolling his eyes. "Though….I may finally get that promotion for arresting the famous Bisharp."

"That is, if your badge isn't stripped away first," Parasect said with a hacking laugh.

"Can it, bug brain. I can still arrest you for assaulting an officer," Charizard grumbled. "OR just burn you to cinders, it'd take less time."

"N-noted," Parasect said.

"So, consider this a uh…challenge!" Victini said. "The first one to behead Bisharp wins?"

"OH my god," Umbreon said. "You're turning us into murderers."

"More like tools of the government?" Victini asked. "Look, just don't think about it too hard and enjoy the chapter, okay? Nothing's serious if you add comedic connotations!"

"Wait, so does this mean I get to see my friends?" Shuckle asked.

"That's right!" Victini said. "Let's just think of this as a really violent reunion!"

Scrafty gulped. "Uh-oh."

0000

"So, ready to see Ampharos again?" Tepig asked.

Zorua shrugged. "Yeah, I'm just a bit nervous. Might be a little awkward at first. What about you and Minccino?"

"Eh, she'll break the ice by beating me up with words," Tepig said. "I think we'll be fine. You might want to watch out for all the eliminated contestants that won't be happy to see you, though."

"I….shit, you're right," Zorua said. "Ugh, I'm going to have to apologize, aren't I?"

"It's the right thing to dooooooooooo," Tepig crooned.

"Oh, sure, and I'm sure you're going to apologize for being a giant asshole to everybody," Zorua snapped.

"No, but I'm an ENDEARING asshole," Tepig said. "You were just an asshole."

"Yeah, whatever." Zorua rolled her eyes.

"Awwww man I'm so excited!" Infernape said, practically vibrating with excitement. "What if we get our own movie!?"

"Are you ALWAYS in a good mood," Umbreon drawled. "Because I don't think I've ever seen you put down by something."

"Just not how I am," Infernape said as he shrugged. "I don't think it's physically possible for me to get angry."

He turned, elbowing Gallade in the shoulder. "Hey, dude! You excited about seeing Grovyle again?"

Gallade glared at him. "What are you on about?"

"C'mon, man! You can't hide it from me, I-"

Gallade kicked Infernape overboard and into the sea. "No idea what you're talking about."

"Guys, I'm pretty sure he can't swim," Umbreon said.

"Who gives a shit?"

0000

"We're here!" Victini said, as he pulled up to the dock.

"We can tell," Slowking muttered. "We're on a speedboat, not a cruise ship."

"You are cranky today," Victini remarked. "Anyway, time to meet some old friends!"

"Define friend," Charizard grunted, flying off the boat and landing at the dock. Out to meet the cast was Plusle, Munchlax, and Bidoof, who were holding up a banner that had the words: YOU TRIED YOUR BEST, SHUCKLE!

"You guys really have no faith in me, huh," Shuckle deadpanned even as Plusle ran over to give him a hug.

Plusle giggled. "It was just a precaution."

"Howdy, pardner!" Bidoof exclaimed. "How you doin'!?"

Munchlax's arm was still in a cast. He gave a weak smile. "Hey dude."

"Well, it's all down to me now, huh guys," Shuckle said after brofisting Bidoof. "Sorry I couldn't get any one else in the top ten."

"Dude, you led us far," Munchlax said. "Without your guidance, none of us would have even made the merge!"

Plusle nodded. "And we still totally have faith in you! Win for us, okay?"

"An' if ya don', we can all get slurpies!" Bidoof exclaimed.

"Good to see your priorities are straight, Bidoof." Shuckle chuckled.

As soon as Lucario jumped onto the dock, Lopunny ran over to hug her. "How are you, girl?"

Lucario grinned. "Still in the game, somehow."

Lopunny gave a mischievous grin. "I saw that mega evolution of yours! And I thought mine was raunchy. I think Sylveon-"

Lucario formed an aura sphere in her hand.

"Oh, I'm just teasing," Lopunny said, slapping her on the back. "I won't even go there with Hakamo-o-"

"Stop it!" Lucario snarled.

"Fine, sheesh, you're no fun."

Tepig got off the boat and was met with Minccino stomping towards him with a metaphorical storm cloud floating over her head. "Oy, can someone play the Wicked Witch of the West theme, because that's what I-"

Minccino tore his head back in a kiss so intense it made even Slowking look away awkwardly.

Tepig gasped for breath. "Whoa, what got into-"

Minccino grunted, judo flipping him over her head before stepping on his stomach. "What went on with you and Zorua?"

"Ow! What the hell? Nothing, don't hurt me!"

Zorua ran over. "Oh, what did he say this time?"

Minccino threw her such a vicious look that Zorua wanted to cower. "What. Went. ON-"

"Minccino, I don't think anything happened," Ampharos said, walking over.

"I want to hear them say it," Minccino hissed.

Zorua and Tepig glanced at each other. "Oh! You think that….because…..oh."

They looked at each other for a moment longer, before bursting out into laughter, Tepig slamming his fist into the ground.

Zorua wiped away a tear. "Yeah, never happened, never will be."

"Oh," Minccino said, before helping Tepig to his feet. "Guess I won't be needing the wood chipper, then."

"Wait what?" Zorua asked.

"Nothing!" Minccino said, pulling Tepig by the hand way too quickly. "Let's go look around!"

Ampharos watched them walk off. "Quite a pair, huh…"

Zorua giggled. "Yeah."

Ampharos rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh, how are you doing Zorua?"

"Well, you've seen," Zorua said. "I guess I'm all right. I've been…. lonely, since you left. Tepig's bad company."

"Oh, well sorry for leaving so soon," Ampharos said sheepishly.

"No! Don't…look I'm just glad to see you, okay?" Zorua said, blushing fiercely.

"Likewise!" Ampharos said, giving her an awkward hug that zapped Zorua. "Oops, sorry."

"It's fine," Zorua gasped.

Grovyle walked over to Gallade, looking even more awkward then Ampharos. "Hey….guy."

"Hello," Gallade said, giving her a small smile. Ivysaur greeted him as well, before running after Donphan to greet Infernape.

"Way to make top ten, dude!" Ivysaur said. "I knew at least one of us would make it!"

"Haha, I'll do my best!" Infernape said.

"So, poetic!" Donphan said. "The story of an underdog facing impossible odds and deadly opponents."

Sylveon greeted Umbreon with a shy smile. "Um, I'm happy to see you."

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "Someone has to be."

Bidoof ran over. "Umbreon! My best buddy!"

He tried to hug her, but Umbreon kicked him into the ocean. "No."

Scrafty sighed, resigned to the fact that nobody would come out to greet him. He glanced at Charizard, who looked like he was in a similar situation. Surprisingly, Slowking too looked rather lonely. Scrafty supposed that he had been so focused on winning the game that he hadn't bothered to make friends.

"Well, let's head in!" Victini said, and the eliminated campers led the surviving cast to the beautiful resort ahead of them. Already they could see Ninjask, Machamp, and Braixen drinking at the pool bar, Talonflame racing Gliscor in the sky, Frogadier saving Pidgey from drowning, and Electivire…. training with Swampert?

"He's a great student," Swampert said with a hint of pride as Electivire bowed low, his old defiance free from his expression. "He's channeled his rage and learned discipline. He's come a long way."

Electivire nodded. "I uh…. I learned how to curb my aggression. Mostly I was just taking out my own frustrations on everybody else. S-sorry for that."

"Oh, wonderful, are so called host is here," Ninjask drawled. "Did you get fired yet?"

Victini gritted his teeth. "I know one person I didn't miss."

A slow, smug smile appeared on Slowking's face. "Greetings, Ninjask."

Ninjask groaned. "Oh, don't you get that expression. You won. No need to rub it in, all right?"

Braixen grinned and spun around on her chair. "Ninjask actually had something he wanted to tell you guys."

"No, I didn't!" Ninjask said, alarmed.

"Yes, you did. Tell them what you told me."

Ninjask took a deep breath, before flying over to team Eviolite, Scrafty, Umbreon, and Gallade. "Look, I uh understand that during the last few episodes I was on the show I became a hardass. I wanted to say s-s-s-"

"You can do it," Victini said, enjoying Ninjask's suffering.

"I WANTED TO SAY SORRY, ALRIGHT? Arceus, I fucking hate you people!" Ninjask snapped, flying away.

"He's a big sweetie." Plusle giggled.

"No, I'm not! Kill yourself!"

"Hey guys!" Haxorus ran over. "Long time no see!"

"Wow, I feel like I completely forgot about you, big guy," Infernape said. "What have you been up to?"

"Just been hanging out with everybody else," Haxorus said. "I usually just carry big stuff in boxes for Sableye. He pays me in peanuts."

"WHAT'S TAKING SO LONG, SLAVE? I NEED TO FINISH THIS LASER BY TONIGHT!"

Haxrous chuckled. "We're good friends."

"Wait, so what's up with Carbink?" Victini asked. "Are you two still…. uh…"

Haxorus' expression clouded. "He isn't too popular around here. I'm pretty sure he's hiding out in his room."

Haxorus sighed. "Sucks, y'know. If I knew the kind of person he really was, I probably would have lasted longer in the competition."

Parasect scuttled forward. "Minccino, front and center!"

"Parasect, I've told you for the umpteenth time! I'm not your second in command anymore!" Minccino shouted. "Get a hobby, dude!"

"But I'm going to burn in the sunlight. Someone must lather me with sunscreen!"

He looked around, but everyone had vanished. "Guys? Well, Whismsicott, I guess that only leaves you."

"Oh, NOW you notice me!" Whismsicott snapped.

0000

"So, in other words, everyone knows about your sister," Grovyle summed up, sitting across Gallade in a deck chair. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Gallade shrugged. "No idea. Though I admit it's liberating to actually be doing something about it."

"What's Victini's plan about this, anyway?" Machamp asked, folding his four arms. "We going to bust some heads?"

"If he causes something to happen to happen to my sister, I'll behead him," Gallade spat.

"Do not worry!" Pidgey shrieked. "I know a few sword moves that will end the entire gang in a single strike! None will be able to match my power!"

"Pidgey, what mental disorder do you have?" Grovyle asked in a bored voice. "Because I honestly can't tell."

"HA! I am super normal! So normal that I can see beyond the-"

"I really wasn't interested," Grovyle interrupted.

Gallade sighed. "I just realized my sister's future hinges on complete idiots."

0000

"So, uh, I know I never got to say this," Shuckle said. "But uh…sorry for hitting you in the head so hard at the end of the first challenge."

Talonflame shrugged. "All water under the bridge. Sure, it was embarrassing to get voted off first, but at least I didn't have to go through some of the tougher challenges."

"Can you turn a slight bit to the left, Bidoof?" Smeargle asked, over his painting. "I'm trying to capture your buck teeth with as much sensitivity as I can muster."

"Uh, sure!" Bidoof said, turning.

"Other left, Bidoof."

"But uh….yeah, the fear challenge wouldn't be too fun," Talonflame said, squirming. "Or the truth or dare for that matter."

"Wait, was that the one where Frogadier got out?" Gliscor asked.

"No, that would be Whismsicott."

"…Who?"

Whimsicott flew by, flipping Gliscor off.

"Anyway, Shuckle? All those things you suspected about Scrafty? You were totally right," Gliscor said.

"Well, he did sabotage Munchlax and I last challenge," Shuckle said. "That basically cinched it for me."

"What's your plan for him?" Plusle asked. "He's a hard nut to crack."

Shuckle shrugged. "I'm working on it. I just wish I had more influence in the top ten. I may have to lie low for the first few challenges just to get out of the way of some threats."

"Aww, you can do it!" Bidoof said. "Even though he took out a bunch'a Pokemon before you…..and you're not as physically strong….and have less allies…."

"Bidoof, stop helping."

"Okay."

0000

"You could!"

"Sylveon, stop lying to make me feel better," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. "I'm not going to win."

"Well, she has a point," Audino said. "You aren't a huge target, like Zorua or Slowking, but you also have a good mind _and_ body, unlike Infernape and Shuckle. Stay out of everyone's crosshairs and you have a good chance!"

"Really?" Umbreon asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well, I'll do my best, I suppose."

"Yeah!" Sylveon said. "You'll do awesome!"

Audino caught sight of Scrafty walking off by himself. "I-uh…I have to go for a second. You two keep catching up!"

Misdreavus floating after her. "Oh no way am I missing this!"

"Wait, where did she even come from?" Sylveon asked. Umbreon just sighed and rolled her eyes.

0000

Scrafty tried not to look uncomfortable as he watched the interactions between the eliminated competitors. It made his victories feel…. pointless, somehow?

"Scrafty."

He turned around and nearly spat out his cigarette. Audino was walking over to him.

"Didn't see you at the dock." Scrafty tried for a smile. "What's been up with you?"

Audino sighed. "Scrafty, can I just ask why?"

Scrafty narrowed his eyes. "You voted for me too, Audino. You're as much to blame as-"

"Don't give me that, Scrafty," Audino said in a tired voice. "I've seen the show. I know what you did."

Scrafty turned. "I wouldn't have voted for you if you hadn't become a threat. You should've stayed quiet."

"I also saw your conversation with Munchlax."

Scrafty didn't turn around, but Audino saw his hand clench. "We're not going there."

Audino stood her ground. "Scrafty, I want to help-"

"No!" Scrafty snapped. "Leave me alone, alright? The last thing I ever wanted from anyone was pity."

He left.

Audino stared after him for a moment, before Misdreavus appeared next to her. "Wow, usually it's the one who did wrong that tries to make up to the one who was wronged. Your relationship is screwy."

Audino groaned. "Don't you have anything better to do, Misdreavus?"

"I guess you could say you caught him with his pants down!"

"Misdreavus…."

"His behavior is really a SMOKEscreen to hide his true nature!"

"Misdreavus! Shut up!"

"ALL CAMPERS, ELIMINATED OR NO, I WANT YOU TO MEET ME AT THE DOCK!" Victini's voice shouted. "We're about to fight a war!"

"What? I THOUGHT THAT THING IN THE CONTRACT WAS A JOKE!" Ninjask snarled. "I'M NOT DYING FOR YOU!"

"TOO BAD, your ass is mine! MWAHAHAHA!"

0000

"Wow, seeing all thirty six of you together-"

"Fuck you!"

"Thirty-seven. Right. Forgot Whimsicott. Sorry. Seeing all thirty- _seven_ of you again brings up some old memories. And now we're all together, so I think it's important to appreciate-"

"Just get on with it!" Ninjask drawled. "None of us share your nostalgia!"

"Well, I kinda do," Ampharos said, raising his hand sheepishly.

"You don't count," Gliscor said, snickering.

"Fine, I'll get on with it," Victini said. "Hey, where's Carbink?"

"Right here," Machamp said, pointing at the rock with one of his arms. Carbink was shivering, his eyes glancing quickly back and forth. "Don't look at me like that! I have nothing left, okay?"

"Oookay then. So, I'm sure you all know the whole deadly ColdSteel situation and Gallade's sister and whatever?"

"Well yeah," Minccino said. "But we still have questions-"

"That we don't have time for!" Victini snapped. "It's about time we started our war!"

"Wait, so I'm going to die?" Sylveon whispered.

"Fingers crossed," Ninjask drawled.

"Why don't you just blow it up then?" Haxorus asked sheepishly. "You'd destroy everyone with your legendary powers!"

"Because I'm not legally allowed to," Victini said. "I could take the risk, but if they find out my legendary license is gone, I'm screwed. Think of me as your god while you guys crusade the shit out of that gang."

"Ahaahhaha! And who else to lead the crusade but the mighty Parasect!" You-know-who shouted, clicking his pinchers. "I've already have three thousand battle scenarios planned for our skirmish!"

"…..how?" Umbreon asked, her eyes wide.

"Yeah, no. I'm actually putting Minccino in charge, because she's clearly the best leader in the cast," Victini said.

"Score!" Minccino said, pumping a fist.

"Wait," Charizard said. "What about-"

"You beat up like three people last challenge Charizard," Victini said, shaking his head. "Not happening."

Charizard gnashed his teeth, looking down. Sylveon gave him a look of pity.

"Meanwhile, I think Shuckle should handle strategy," Victini said. "You were pretty badass in that snow fort challenge."

"Yeah, we made a pretty good team," Minccino said, giving Shuckle a smile. "Just another challenge, dude."

"I uh…yeah sure," Shuckle said. "We can do that."

"So! I'll focus on getting you a ride there, and then you guys fight for me and try not to die!" Victini said. "That sound fair?"

"No," Scrafty said, but Victini teleported away.

"Hey…I wonder where Hariyama is?" Haxorus said, tapping a claw to his chin.

0000

Hariyama was sitting in a hot tub, next to Tapu Lele and Tapu Fini. The two legendaries were cooing and leaning on his arms.

"You're so big and strong, Harry," Tapu Fini gushed. "Why don't you hang out with us more often?"

"Hariyama has big responsibilities," Hariyama explained.

"I bet that's not the only big thing he has," Tapu Lele said, licking her lips. "Tell us more about that battle with Mewtwo."

Hariyama leaned back in the hot tub. "Well, it started with punching Mewtwo in perfect jawline…."

0000

"Sir! It would seem that Victini has responded to your ultimatum with violence!" a Pawniard said, running into Bisharp's room.

"Oh sweet, am I being rescued?" Kirlia asked from over her bowl of Spaghetti-os.

"Of course not," Bisharp snapped. "Since we're a fictional evil organization, we get an infinite number of grunts! This whole damn project was a bust. I want Gallade alive so I can end him personally."

"Um…don't do that, please?" Kirlia asked.

"Pshh, I am a villain," Bisharp said, rolling his eyes. "You can't sway me."

Kirlia gave him puppy dog eyes.

"That's not fair! Fine, I won't kill him! I'll think of something else, like take his other eye!"

"Oh, good idea!" Kirlia said. "The lack of symmetry really bugged me."

"Then it is decided!" Bisharp cackled. "I will END this show once and for all and take the million! Then I'll host my own show!"

Kirlia raised a hand. "Can I be in it?"

"Ugh, FINE!"

0000

Victini's cast were flying in the Hindenloon quartz 3000, heading to whatever location Victini was leading Sableye to.

"Okay," Shuckle said, looking over several battle plans. "I'm looking at Bisharp's hideout, and it looks like a citadel more then anything else. It essentially used to be abandoned ruins, so while the defenses are formidable, it isn't too hard to slip in through the cracks if we're careful enough."

"What, so you want all thirty-seven of us to slip in?" Ninjask drawled. "Yeah, that'll work."

"Ninjask, he never said that," Slowking said, shaking his head. "Perhaps if you took the time to listen instead of interrupting, you'd find his plan more satisfactory."

"Bite me."

"Anyway," Shuckle said. "We'll be splitting into three divisions. Shield team, sword team, and dagger team."

"Sounds…. structured," Parasect said as he drooled. "Please tell the great Parasect that there is a list involved."

"Yeah," Minccino said, handing out copies. "Parasect, if you chop it in half with your pinchers you're not getting another one."

"Okay, so!" Shuckle said. "Shield team consists of: Swampert, Slowking, Electivire, Tepig, Minccino, Parasect, Scrafty, Smeargle, Umbreon, Ivysaur, Sylveon, Ampharos, Frogadier, Audino, Carbink and uh…Pidgey, I guess."

"Ha! I have nine points in defense!" Pidgey shrieked. "My blade will provide an adequate defense."

"Uh…yeah," Audino said, scratching her head. "Maybe you should sit this one out, Pidgey."

"But why!?"

"I…um…we want to give them a fair chance?" Audino suggested.

"Ha! Your sense of chivalry is admirable, kitchen wench, but these enemies do not deserve a fair fight!" Pidgey announced.

"…Kitchen wench?" Audino asked.

"Shhhh," Shuckle said. "Shield team, the front of the citadel is where you'll dig in. Your job is to hold our position if things go south. You'll be dealing with the main force of enemies, as they'll likely try to attack us in a pincher movement."

"And if we can no longer hold our position?" Smeargle asked. "We'll have painted our own funeral."

"Don't worry about it, Michelangelo," Minccino said with a grin. "Sableye and I discussed a few _surprises_ , just in case."

"Ha! Ominous!" Donphan chortled.

"Okay, so on the other hand, sword team will actually be the invaders," Shuckle said. "Your team consists of: Lucario, Charizard, Haxorus, Machamp, Braixen, Infernape, Ninjask, Gliscor, Lopunny, and Talonflame. Smaller team, but you guys are the fiercest and the quickest. If everything goes well, we'll shoot straight through the defenses while the fliers handle the reinforcements from the sides. You'll have some breathing room to fall back, but don't join Shield team unless you have no choice."

"Aww….I don't really want to hurt anybody," Haxorus said. "Can't we just engage them in peaceful conversations."

"Dude, that would be boring as hell for a chapter," Braixen snapped. Her eyes lit up. "WAIT, DO I GET TO BURN THINGS TO THE GROUND NOW!?"

Minccino sighed. "Yes, but don't overdue-"

Braixen giggled.

"Okay, that's pretty creepy." Ampharos gulped.

"Aww but she's so passionate," Ivysaur gushed.

Lopunny grinned. "Well, just like old times, eh Lucario?"

Lucario sighed. "I wish Hakamo-o were here. She'd love this. Still, hopefully my performance here will get me an invite to the tournament!"

"Okay, so this just leaves dagger team," Shuckle said. "Gallade, Whimsicott, Zorua, Misdreavus, and Grovyle, your sole purpose is to rescue Kirlia and take down Bisharp if you can. I picked the stealthier Pokemon for this approach. Bisharp will probably see fit to use Kirlia as a bargaining chip if he sees he's at a risk of losing, so you guys are going to prevent it."

"Why ME?" Whimsicott asked.

Shuckle smirked. "You know why?"

"I…fair enough."

"But what about me?" Gallade asked. "Would I not be better suited for sword team?"

"Look, Kirlia is probably terrified and confused," Shuckle said. "She'll probably need someone to calm her down."

"I…see.." Gallade said. "Thank you, Shuckle."

"No problem, man," Shuckle said. "Everybody okay with their roles?"

Nobody looked very thrilled, but they all shrugged in resignation.

Ninjask sighed. "Why the fuck not?"

0000

Two Pawniard guards were smoking around a sentry point.

One of them cleared his throat. "So, we're fighting a TV show cast? Think we're gonna be on TV?"

"Nah, who even cares? It's a pretty shitty show, from what I've heard," the other Pawniard said.

"Really? Because I heard it was popular in Johto-"he was interrupted by stones falling around them, floating in the air. Carbink was floating, staring impassively.

The two Pawniard swore, already moving, but Donphan's rollout struck out of nowhere, bowling one of the Pawniard over. The other attacked with sharp blades, but Donphan parried with his own sword. They traded blows before Donphan hit him over the head with his sword.

"Attack my comrades!" Donphan shouted as Pawniard poured out of the citadel from all sides. "For our honor!"

As soon as the Pawniard came running, the floating stones crashed into the ranks, creating chaos as the Batmobile, Cherry Bomb, Sherman, and the Fairy Dust drove into the fray, smashing into the ranks and shooting off their many weapons.

Sylveon tapped a button on her car, the flash blinding a dozen Pawniard in front of her. Munchlax threw out cherry bombs, scattering the Pawniard and allowing Swampert, Electivire, and Umbreon to attack, with Smeargle and Pidgey hot on their tails.

"Lead the charge, Lucario and Lopunny!" Minccino shouted from atop Sherman. "We'll take care of the chaos here!"

Lucario and Lopunny smashed through the defensive line in front of them as Braixen set fire to the entrances, forcing the Pawniard to flee and find themselves right into Swampert and Electivire's line of fire.

Smeargle dodged a slice with ease, backing up and taunting his opponent forward. With a quick stroke, he splashed paint over the Pawniard's eyes. "Aha! Your fighting style is clumsy, though I suppose art is in the eye of the beholder!"

As he kicked Pawniard away, two more came at his left. Before he could fight them off, Pidgey leaped out of nowhere, swinging his sword.

"I, THE GREAT PIDGEY, WILL SHATTER YOUR SP-AH! OW! OW" Pidgey was on the ground, kicked by the two Pawniard as Smeargle sighed.

One aimed a claw to finish him off, but a blast of paint knocked him unoncious. The Other Pawniard looked back, but a second blast of paint spun him around, before a third hit him in the chest, sending him flying backwards.

Tepig cracked the pump of the sniper rifle in his trotter. "Oy, remember when I was totally kickass with this and it was never brought back again? Well, fanservice time, mates!"

"Hey, I want the megaphone!" Parasect whined, trying to grab it out of Minccino's hand.

"Hey, no! Bad Parasect!" Minccino said, slapping Parasect away with her tail. "Also, I spent two weeks being your second in command, so as of right now, you're my bitch!"

"THE GREAT PARASECT IS NOBODY'S- OW!" Parasect winced as Minccino's tail slapped him again. "FINE! OW, JESUS WOMAN, THAT SMARTS!"

The Batmobile fired off a bunch of missiles, blasting a squad of Pawniard away with ease. Another group of four hopped aboard, slashing their blades through the glass window. "Who's in there!"

"Your worst nightmare," Ivysaur hissed, wearing the Crobatman costume. Two vines shot out, wrapping around Pawniard's heads and slamming them together.

As the Pokemon on the sword team continued their forward surge past the entrance into the citadel, shield team spread out into skirmishes, Victini's cast splitting up to distract the Pawniard from the offensive team.

Electivire in particular was impressive, for once fighting without anger. His wires wrapped around the Pawniard, spinning them around and allowing him to take easy shots.

"Excellent, Electivire," Swampert said, slamming his fist into the ground to create a massive earthquake, felling a dozen Pawniard.

Frogadier stood on the wall of the citadel, wearing a superhero costume, complete with cape.

" _Upon the great wall, a hero appears. In his quest for justice, all Pawniard will face their greatest fears."_

Frogadier jumped down, somersaulting in the air, while Mega Ampharos jumped behind him, shooting a single lightning bolt that fried the Pawniard all around them. Frogadier landed with no enemies to face.

"Mega Ampharos, we talked about this! How can I be the hero if you beat up everybody first?" Frogadier groaned.

Mega Ampharos switched back to his normal form for a second. "Oops. Sorry."

0000

The sword team sprinted forward charged into battle, easily obliterating any resistance. Lucario and Lopunny took the lead, fighting in perfect tandem as they beat up their opponents.

Lopunny's gymnastic skills came in handy as she preformed flips and twirls to avoid strike after strike, landing blows while they were off balance. Braixen released jets of fire that terrified the Pawniard, before making sure to light up the citadel for good measure.

Haxorus stood back a bit, looking worried. "Um…I don't know if I can do this."

"You must!" Donphan shouted, fighting off three Pawniard at once with his sword. "You have to release all of your built-up pain and rage and just let go! Let it go! Can't hold it back anymore!"

Haxorus took a deep breath.

Gliscor glanced over. "Dude, you can sit out if-"

"AAAAAAAH!" Haxorus screamed, launching forward. He smashed through a line of Pawniard. "DAMN YOU CARBINK! I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SO-RRRRGH! STUPID BULLY!"

Gliscor and Ninjask glanced at each other. "Holy shit."

"Hey, buddy," Lopunny said, looking nervous. "You okay?"

"YES, JUST FRUSTRATED!"

A group of Pawniard stumbled back a bit, put off by Haxorus' rage. "Uh….who's gonna fight him?" 

"I don't know, let's try rock paper-"

"Scissors!" Gliscor shouted, landing an x-scissor on the Pawniard. The others attacked as one, but Gliscor dodged around with ease.

"Don't need that bright powder anymore!" Gliscor said with a yawn as no Pawniard came even close to touching him. He preformed a backflip in midair as Ninjask shot forward like a rocket.

"Can't touch this."

Ninjask vanished and reappeared. " _My-my-my-my music makes me so hard makes me say oh my Lord-"_

The Pawniard all dashed for him, but were slammed back by an invisible barrier created by Slowking.

Slowking shot a jet of water forward. " _Thank you for blessing me with a rhyme and two hype feet."_

Ninjask flew in an out, slashing through the stragglers. " _That's good when you know your down-"_

" _A super dope homeboy from the Oak town,"_ Slowking said, trapping the remainder in a whirlpool.

" _And I'm known as such,"_ Ninjask grabbed one and threw him at Slowking, who punched him out of the air.

" _U. Can't. Touch,"_ They said together, high fiving.

"Wait, why U? That's awful grammar!" Slowking said, affronted,

"Look, that's the name of the song, all right, grammar Nazi?" Ninjask said, rolling eyes. "Just let the gimmick be a gimmick."

"But why would it be written as U in the official lyrics? The pronunciation is no different," Slowking argued.

"Dammit Slowking, you ruined it, you ruined the song," Ninjask drawled.

0000

"Wow, they're certainly making a mess of things," Whimsicott said, peering outside. "And Shuckle's plan seems to be working."

"So, Gallade, do you know where Kirlia would be held?" Grovyle asked.

Gallade sighed. "No, honestly. I've never even been in here. This must be a relatively new hideout."

"Ooh, let me pick!" Misdreavus said. "I have a great sense of direction. Haha, a SIXTH sense of direction!"

"I remember why you were eliminated," Zorua remarked. "Anyways, maybe Gallade has a psychic connection with Kirlia he could use?"

"Good idea," Gallade said, before closing his eye. It suddenly popped back open. "To the left. She's unconscious, but I can feel a hint of her emotion. At the very least, she does not seem too hurt."

"Awesome!" Whimsicott said. "Let's go save her!"

Zorua and Misdreavus followed, but Grovyle threw Gallade a curious glance. He was surlier than usual.

"You okay?" She whispered. Gallade took a deep huff.

"I-"

"Dude, can you still not trust me?" Grovyle asked. "I know you have a hard time expressing yourself, but seriously-"

"Alright, calm down!" Gallade snapped. "I'm still getting used to this actually having 'friends' business. I feel…. powerless, you know? I've never had control of the situation to begin with, and I don't have it now. It was Victini's decision to attack here, and once again I'm just being used as a tool."

He gritted his teeth. "I hate being used as a tool."

"Oh. Um…" Grovyle thought for a moment. "I don't know if I have advice for that. Maybe just…don't think about it at all?"

Gallade raised an eyebrow. "Huh?" 

"Well, saving Kirlia is the first priority, right? Well, then just think of this as a lucky break," Grovyle said. "Not everything has to be profound."

Gallade chuckled. "That's fair. I…I have a score to settle with Bisharp, so if we come to blows, I want you to stay out of it. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one in this group strong enough to take him, anyway."

"Well, if we all attack him together-"

"Don't," Gallade said. "I need to do this alone."

"But why?" Grovyle snapped. "This is so pointless."

"My pride," Gallade said shortly. "I'm grateful for everyone's help, but I won't be a tool any longer. I'm the one who will end this, for better or for worse."

"I…fine," Grovyle said. "But if anything happens to you-"

"Focus on getting Kirlia out of there," Gallade said, folding his arms. "Don't bother with me. If I lose I won't deserve saving to begin with."

"I…dammit, Gallade!" Grovyle snapped. "If you die, then I'm totally going to kill you!"

0000

"Sir, your underlings are getting their asses handed to them!" A Pawniard shouted to Bisharp.

"It's okay, we have more of those things back at our other hideout," Bisharp said. "How curious, I haven't seen Gallade anywhere. Perhaps he decided not to come. I wonder if Victini will even care about Kirlia?"

"I drew you a picture!" Kirlia said. It was of Gallade decapitating Bisharp. "It really brings out the color in your eyes!"

"This child's a lunatic!" Pawniard said.

"Look, just send out more reinforcements, alright?" Bisharp snapped. "I don't pay you to point out the obvious!"

"You don't pay me at all, sir!"

"And if you keep this lip up, you'll be the one paying ME!"

0000

Victini's cast was beginning to falter. While they had a good start, the element of surprise was lost and the Pawniard just kept coming. The cast was beginning to lose ground, and found themselves being separated from Sword Team.

"Do not give in!" Swampert shouted, holding up a protective barrier. "If we are patient, we can pull through!"

Unfortunately, the Pawniard quick and began pinning the cast down, kicking them while they were vulnerable. Even Swampert and Electivire were overwhelmed.

Sherman fired another shot, blasting apart a dozen of Pawniard. Minccino held up her megaphone. "Stay strong guys!" 

"Yes!" Parasect shouted as he shot out spores below him. "Clap your hands if you believe!"

Umbreon groaned as a Pawniard repeatedly kicked her in the stomach. "That's my line, OW!"

A few Pawniard darted up Sherman, surrounding Minccino. Minccino gulped, slapping away one with a tail, but another grabbed her in a full nelson.

"Ow! Hey! Get the hell of me!" She said. "I am a lawyer! Do you even know what I can do to y-"

Pawniard's head jerked back as a blast of paint sent him flying, allowing Minccino to roll away.

"Get away from her," Tepig growled, taking aim and firing once more, blasting away another Pawniard.

"Aww, my hero!" Minccino gushed.

Tepig aimed, but out of nowhere, a Pawniard punched him in the nose. Tepig stumbled back, facing his opponent as a dozen more rushed in from all directions….

0000

Victini was leaning back in the captain's chair of the Hindenloon Quartz 3000, drinking a smoothie. Yawning, he checked the campers' progress.

"Oh shit, they're losing!" Victini shouted, grabbing his phone and dialing a number.

"Hariyama! It's an emergency, you have to-WHY IS TAPU LELE _MOANING_ ON THE OTHER END?"

" _Hariyama is rocking her three-foot world."_

"DUDE! I DID NOT LET YOU HAVE THE DAY OFF SO THAT YOU COULD GET LAID! IT'S BROS BEFORE-"

" _Click."_

"AND WHY DO PEOPLE KEEP HANGING UP ON ME!?" Victini snapped. "Now what do I do!?"

A stomp shook the vehicle, causing Victini to spill his smoothie. "What's the big idea?"

He glanced up. "Whoa. The phrase 'what's the big idea' seems thematically appropriate right about now."

0000

"It's over!" A Pawniard cackled. "All of you are defeated, so you may as well just give us money!"

Tepig flipped a Pawniard over his head, before headbutting another. "Come at me mates! You can't beat the power of love, ya bloody steel types!"

"O-okay, Tepig hasn't been defeated yet. BUT everyone else!" Pawniard said. "It's over!"

The Cherry bomb drove forward, and Munchlax tossed a bunch of cherries to create a line of explosives. Three Pawniard leaped aboard and dragged Munchlax out.

"Consider Munchlax the example!" Pawniard shouted.

One of the Pawniard plunged his claw into Munchlax's chest, stabbing him through before dropping him.

"MUNCHLAX!" Frogadier shouted.

"Oh my god!" Sylveon gasped.

Munchlax landed motionless, until…he started sparking?

"Wait, he's a robot?" Pawniard asked. "What!?"

"Not quite!"

Facing them was a massive robot, Sableye in the cockpit. The robot was a giant Ducklett wearing a top hat, a red suit, and glasses. Sitting on one of its shoulders were team Eviolite, who were all dressed up in costume.

"AHAAHAH!" Sableye cackled. "SAY HELLO TO MY NEW INVENTION! THE SCROOGE MCDUCKINATOR!"

The giant Scrooge McDucklett robot stomped forward as team Eviolite got their instruments ready. Shuckle was on drums, dressed up as Huey, Munchlax was playing bass while dressed up as Dewey, and Bidoof, strumming his own guitar, was dressed up as Louie. Plusle cheered them on in her Webby costume.

"We are Sex Bob-omb!" Shuckle shouted, doing a quick drum solo.

"Uh…. dude, no we're not," Munchlax said. "That's a really poorly done obscure reference. I mean we already have this DuckTales motif going on."

"Yeah, don't confuse the two mediums!" Bidoof piped up.

"Fine, uh, well here's one that fits in with both! We'll be playing _Launchpad McQuack!"_

"Not the name of the song. Man, you're really pushing for the Scott Pilgrim references aren't you?" Munchlax said.

"I…screw you!" Shuckle snapped.

"…What the hell are they wearing?" Minccino asked.

"Wait, is that a reference to _DuckTales-?"_ A Pawniard asked, faltering as the robot rushed forward and dove in the air.

"Oh I get it!" Another Pawniard piped up. "It's referencing how Scrooge dives into the gold-"

SMASH!

Shuckle banged on his drums. "One two three four!"

" _Life is like a hurricane here in Duckburg-"_

The Scrooge robot swung its cane, sending dozens of Pawniard flying. Victini's cast watched in awe as it had no trouble destroying the line.

" _Race cars, lasers, aeroplanes…it's a duck blur-"_

Plusle gave off a signal with a wink, and Swampert chuckled. With a roar, he mega evolved alongside Lopunny and Audino.

" _Might solve a mystery, or rewrite history!"_

A horde of Pawniard charged atop the citadel's battlements, but Sableye tapped a button on the control panel as he giggled madly. Lasers shot out of Scrooge's eyes, reducing the Pawniard to cinders.

"What? That's bullshit!" A Pawniard shouted.

" _DuckTales! Woo-oo!"_

0000

"What's that noise?" Pawniard #59 asked.

"I don't know?" Pawniard #60 replied as Misdreavus slowly crawled under them in a shadow sneak. "I think it's a song?"

" _D-d-danger lurks behind you! There's a stranger out to find you!"_

Misdreavus struck from behind, blasting them away with two well placed shadow balls. "Haha! I had to wait for that line before attacking!"

"Well, I see Bisharp," Grovyle said, peering around the corner. "But where's Kirlia?"

"Find them," Gallade said. "Bisharp is my burden."

"You're going to get killed out there, dude," Zorua said, crossing her arms.

"Does anybody care about my opinion?" Whimsicott asked, rolling her eyes.

"That may be," Gallade said. "But it's time I actually took action for once." 

"That's what I thought."

Zorua sighed. "Fine, your funeral. We'll find Kirlia in the meantime."

She vanished as Misdreavus and Whimsicott darted off.

Grovyle stayed back, giving Gallade a concerned look. "Please promise me you'll be…."

"I can't promise anything," Gallade shrugged. "I'm sorry."

Grovyle just made a frustrated noise before chasing after the other girls. Gallade walked into Bisharp's dining room just as he turned around.

"Gallade, what are you-?" He was interrupted by Gallade kicking him in the face. He groaned. "Okay, maybe I deserved that."

"Look, you know what I'm here for," Gallade spat.

"Your sister?" Bisharp drawled.

"No, you," Gallade snarled.

"Well, you could at least ask me to dinner first," Bisharp said, snickering.

"I…..shut up!" Gallade snapped. "We're ending this now. I'm through following your orders, and I'm going to make you pay for every one you gave me."

Bisharp stared.

Then he started laughing. "Here's your warrior's pride again, Gallade. It's your greatest downfall. That coupled with your love for your sister is what made manipulating you so easy. You care about your sister, but you'd never let anyone help you. Do you know how easily you could have defeated me if it weren't for your foolish pride?" 

"….I know," Gallade admitted. "I have been a fool. My stubbornness only hurt Kirlia and I even more. You're right about that. But what you weren't right about was my willingness to change. I confided in two people, and one has a very powerful family. Even if I fail here, I'm sure you'll be sure to follow me to hell soon enough."

"Fitting last words," Bisharp snarled. "But you can't fool me. If you aren't so prideful, then why would you face me instead of saving Kirlia?"

"Because there are people I can trust now," Gallade said. "People I can trust to save her. I'm not as good as any of them; the only thing I could ever do well is fight. I may as well put that one skill to use here."

Bisharp sighed. "Nothing more to say then, is there?"

"No," Gallade said. "I don't think so."

They both stared at each other.

Then they lunged.

0000

Plusle peered over Scrooge's shoulder. "Think we went a little overboard?" 

Munchlax downed a water bottle, his throat still sore after singing at the top of his lungs. "I noticed if we aren't going overboard, I end up getting kicked in the dick."

"Can't argue that," Shuckle said.

"No, not at all," Bidoof agreed.

"Plusle, I need you to take over!" Sableye said, hopping out of the cockpit.

"Wait, but why?" Plusle asked.

"Because I want in on this massacre," Sableye said, giggling evilly.

He jumped overboard, mega evolving in midair and landing on his giant ruby like a snowboard, barreling into his opponents as he screamed out embarrassing truths about himself.

Plusle climbed into the cockpit. "Okay um…. let's try this button?"

Immediately, Scrooge dropped his cane and picked up his bagpipes, starting to play a horrible tune. Pawniard shrieked in pain as they covered their ears at the horrible noise.

"…Why isn't that hurting us?" Charizard asked.

"AHAHAHAHA I'VE MASTERED THE ART OF CREATING PLOT ARMOR!" Mega Sableye cackled.

0000

Bisharp and Gallade slashed and hacked at each other as they moved at high speeds. The two fought equally, trading slashes and blows with incredible skill.

"You've trained!" Bisharp said through gritted teeth as their blades locked together. "I might actually enjoy myself!"

Gallade didn't answer, headbutting Bisharp hard. As the steel type stumbled back, Gallade landed a vicious roundhouse kick. Bisharp stumbled back, clutching his jaw.

Gallade launched forward, and they fought once more. Bisharp parried Gallade's strike and nailed him in the shoulder. Gallade winced in pain as he backpedaled.

At this point, both were breathing heavily. Gallade glared at Bisharp, before a voice rang out.

"Gallade!" Grovyle shouted. "We have Kirlia! Let's get out of here!"

In her arms was Kirlia, who waved at Gallade. "Hey, bro! About time, huh?"

Two Pawniard dove forward towards them, and out of reflex Gallade lunged for them….

Right into Bisharp's sucker punch.

Gallade collapsed on his side, clutching his mouth as Grovyle dove to avoid the Pawniard. Bisharp gave him a look of triumph.

"Wow, you were right! Casting aside your pride, only to fall flat on your face!" Bisharp laughed. "What dramatic irony."

Gallade grunted, trying to rise. "I…I have no choice."

He glowed with a harsh light.

"Wait, but Gallade- "Grovyle started. Bisharp merely grinned.

"Let's see if Gallade has come as far as he claims."

Mega Gallade stared at Bisharp for a moment, before letting out a roar of pure hatred. He lunged forward faster than Bisharp's eyes could follow, striking him hard in the gut. When Bisharp doubled over, Mega Gallade landed three slashs, before kicking him into the wall hard enough to crack it.

Bisharp tried to rise, but Gallade grinned evilly, raising a blade, ready for the kill…

"Stop it!" Grovyle shouted. Mega Gallade wheeled around, and before Grovyle could react she found herself pinned against a wall, Mega Gallade pressing a blade to her throat.

"Apparently not," Bisharp said, rising to his feet. He slowly formed his blades into long guillotines.

"Agh, Gallade, quit it," Grovyle choked out, the two of them completely ignoring Bisharp. "Don't undue…all your…. character…development."

"Gallade, stop!" Kirlia cried, before running forward. "I'll beat you up before you beat your potential wife!"

Zorua reappeared, grabbing her and holding her back. "Whoa, kid, not a good idea."

"Let me at 'im!"

Grovyle tried to breath. "L-look, is this what you want? To go backwards? You're angry and I-grk…get that, but don't just undo everything…p-please."

Mega Gallade took slow, deep breaths. "I…I everywhere I see is that same taunting face….I want to give in-"

"Don't! Please!" Grovyle said, tearing up a bit. "If n-not for me, do it for your-hrrgh self!

"Just come back, and it'll all be over!"

Mega Gallade felt his rage bubble at the top…but he kept it from going over the lid.

Finally, he dropped her with a heavy sigh. Grovyle gasped for air as Mega Gallade stumbled away from her. "I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't-"

"It's okay," Grovyle said. "You found your way."

Gallade gave her a weak smile, before Bisharp's guillotine slashed through him. Gallade fell immediately with a groan.

Grovyle gasped. "Gallade!" Bisharp kicked her in the chest, bowling her over.

"It's over. If Gallade couldn't beat me, nobody could," Bisharp said with relish. "Now, you can all still walk away. But I want that money NOW!"

Zorua was still holding back Kirlia, while Gallade stumbled and failed to rise. Grovyle was trapped under Bisharp's foot.

"Oh no you don't!" Whimsicott screamed, apparently appearing out of nowhere. "Stop not noticing me!"

She shot a moon blast that struck Bisharp in the shoulder. Grovyle rolled free, kicking him in the stomach before flipping forward and landing a vicious leaf blade. She aimed another, cutting through…a mask?

Bisharp stumbled back, before the mask ripped in two, revealing the face of…

"PHIONE!?" Zorua, Grovyle, Gallade, and Whimsicott shouted.

Phione gave a sheepish smile. "Heh heh, whoops!"

"YOU WERE BISHARP ALL THIS TIME?" Gallade shouted.

"Well, yeah!" Phione said. "Victini wanted more drama and thought you were pretty boring, so we thought if you had extra motivations, we'd pile up more ratings!"

"But…I've known you since before the show!" Gallade protested.

"Yeah, we got Celebi's help with that," Phione said. "We meddled with your past for the sole purpose of building up your backstory for you to become a more engaging character!"

"I…but…my whole plotline…my development…." Gallade, said, looking shell-shocked.

"Oh, come on, dude!" Phione said. "It was a pretty cliché plotline to begin with! I mean, it's also hard to believe the legitimacy of our organization to begin with. Our gang is literally named after a crappy Sonic the Hedgehog meme."

Gallade clenched his teeth. "Y-you traumatized me for life!"

"Pssh, that's showbuisness, baby!" Phione giggled. "Oh besides, we totally made you a better person in the process, and nobody was hurt! Seems like a fair trade off to me!"

"I-I can't really argue with this, but I feel l should," Zorua muttered.

"Well, I can!" Grovyle snapped. "You kidnapped a girl against her will and tr-"

"Actually, we paid her!" Phione said. "She's just been chilling here and playing Yahtzee with the boys and I!"

Kirlia nodded. "I had a lot of fun!"

Gallade groaned. "I think I need to lie down."

Manaphy teleported into the room. "Oh, there you are! I've been looking for you all day, young man!"

"But mooooom, I was playing with these nice people!" Phione said.

"You can play with them later. Your father and I got reservations for a fancy poffin resturaunt, and I want you looking good for the occasion," Manaphy said sternly.

"Fiiiine," Phione said, before they just teleported away.

Misdreavus floated into the room. "Yeah, this show is fucking bullshit."

0000

"So," Victini said, looking at his cast. "This whole thing was an elaborate set up to get more ratings, but we've all bonded and-"

"Oh, shut up!" Umbreon drawled. "We missed a full day of Alola vacation for this shit! Can we at least vote somebody off?"

"Nope!" Victini said. "Today was a special! Nobody leaves. Final ten is still intact, for now that is."

Shuckle breathed a sigh of relief. He was still safe, if only for a little longer.

"So, it's time to say your goodbyes!" Victini said. "And stay tuned for the next episode!"

As the campers began to drift off, Shuckle was pulled into a group hug by team Eviolite.

"You can win, Shuckle!" Plusle said. "We're all behind you!"

"Yeah, you show that big ol' Scrafty what for!" Bidoof shouted.

"Thanks guys," Shuckle said with a smile. "I promise I'll try, okay?"

Minccino still had Tepig in a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you so much. You do your best to win, okay?"

Tepig grinned. "I'll do it, love. I'll bring ya back the money faster than Munchlax gets shot down by the ladies. I missed you too, by the way."

"I knew you cared," Minccino whispered, kissing him. Tepig stumbled back, but reciprocated eagerly.

"Gross," Ninjask drawled, flying by. He tapped Slowking's shoulder.

"What do you want?" Slowking asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"Look, I hate this mushy stuff," Ninjask muttered with a prominent blush. "But I uh…. I respect you a lot, and I wanted you to know that I want you to w-win. I'm supporting you."

"Why, Ninjask, did your heart just grow six sizes?" Slowking asked.

"OH, FUCK OFF!"

0000

"Gallade?" Grovyle whispered. The psychic and fighting type was sitting by himself.

"I'm thinking of quitting," Gallade whispered. "I…. I'm glad she's safe but, I-that was not right."

"I know," Grovyle said, giving him a side hug. Gallade twitched, but leaned into her touch.

"It's just so hard," Gallade whispered. "Everything I ever know turns out to be a lie, just like that Even when I finally get out of the grave that I dug myself into, they still found a way to use me in the end. I just want someone to be a rock, someone constant."

"Gallade, I-"

"Someone like you, Grovyle," Gallade said, giving her a look of such intense passion that she blushed. "Thank you."

"Please don't quit, Gallade," Grovyle said. "You're so close to just flipping them off and taking the money. Stop being the edgy trope these guys want you to be and become something greater. If you quit now, then our last image of you will be the poor shmuck who got exploited for ratings. You're so much more then-"

Gallade grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. "Thank you, Grovyle."

Grovyle blushed in his arms. "I….dude, what?"

"Please, just be here," Gallade said, his voice cracking a little. "I need to know I'm not alone."

"You're not alone, Gallade," Grovyle said, resting her head on his shoulder. "You never were."

0000

"Okay, people, hop on board!" Victini said. "I'm sure you guys are ready to finally head back to our beloved island."

"Beloved is a poor choice of words," Lucario said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, wait where's Gallade?" Victini asked. "He's so unpredictable." 

"He probably isn't coming," Scrafty said. "Probably still in shock."

"Oh," Victini said, slightly solemn. "Well, if he doesn't come soon-"

"I'm here."

Gallade was walking forward. "Are we going to leave?"

"Dude, where's your eyepatch?" Infernape asked, pointing at Gallade's eye.

"…. I don't need it anymore," Gallade admitted.

"Uh…you sure? Because that is pretty gross, dude. You might want to cover it up-"

"Shut up."

"Bye Gallade!" Kirlia said, waving. Gallade hesitated for a moment, but didn't wave back.

"That was rather rude, mate," Tepig said as the boat began to set off.

Gallade sighed. "She just wasn't the person I thought she was.

"And neither am I."

0000

So, I personally don't know WHAT this chapter was. I hope you guys all enjoyed it, though.

My goal for the end of the summer is to finish this story. I'm not sure if I'll achieve this goal, but it's nice to have something to aspire too, you know?

Nobody was eliminated, but there was still character development all around. This was a very unique experience, so I really hope I pulled this off well.

That's all! Goodbye and seeya soon!

Phione: Review, my dudes!


	29. Chapter 29: Tepig's Trickster Day

0000

"A party?" Infernape shrieked, jumping in joy. "DUUUUUUUDE!"

"Will you calm down?" Victini asked. "I'm not even legally allowed to give you this stuff so keep quiet. I just felt er….bad about last time and wanted to make it up to you."

"Yeah, right," Umbreon said, though she was eyeing the alcohol with a hungry expression. "You always have an ulterior motive."  
"I do not!" Victini protested. "Look, Gallade-"

"Don't even talk to me, man," Gallade said, folding his arms.

"F-fair enough. Just enjoy the party. I'm sure it's a stressful time for you campers, considering tomorrow another one of you is leaving, so take the time to converse with your fellow competitors. Who knows which one you'll never see again."

"Alright, you've sold me on it," Umbreon said, snatching a bottle. "I never said I was against the idea."

"Then enjoy yourselves and try not to get too drunk!" Victini said. "I'm going to bed early tonight."

He floated off as the top ten frantically began snatching up as much liquor as possible.

 **0000**

" **Okay, try not to judge us too harshly," Lucario said. "We've been so deprived that we got drunk off Tepig's stash of milk. Plus, hell there are hardly any of us left. It's super tense between us all, and you know what drink does to tension."**

 **0000**

" **Normally this would be a great time to get hammered, but I've learned a great deal of temperance after my er…. meltdown," Scrafty admitted. "So instead, I watched the others at their most raw, and I hit strategy gold."**

 **0000**

And so, the campers became stupid. Tepig and Infernape had a drinking contest, one where the pig destroyed the monkey and Infernape had to be dragged off by Slowking. Lucario turned out to be super giggly while she was drunk, and Umbreon was having a lot of fun with her.

Shuckle, being the only underaged camper, merely sat by himself and sipped some berry juice of his own creation, the only one not to drink besides Scrafty.

Scrafty himself crossed over to Gallade, who slammed another shot glass down on the table. There were a bunch of empty ones around him as well.

"Hey, you okay? You're drinking like a monster," Scrafty said, plopping down next to him. "How much DID you drink tonight?"

"Not enough," Gallade rasped. "I'm fine. Just….coping, you know."

"Fine, dude, I know the feeling," Scrafty admitted. "Life's gonna suck in the morning though."

"Fair enough," Gallade admitted.

"Look, not to take advantage of you when you're drunk, but Zorua and I are going after Slowking tomorrow. He's a threat, and if you vote with us then you last another night."

Gallade groaned. "Whatever. Life is meaningless and we spend our pointless lives trying to succeed at something that won't ever matter anyway."

Umbreon, who was walking by, gasped.

 **0000**

 **Umbreon blushed. "When did Gallade…. get so** _ **cool?"**_

 **0000**

" **Don't you love how the competition is getting easier and easier?" Scrafty said with an evil smirk. "Gallade's in a crippling depression, Shuckle has lost all his allies, and Charizard's even more unlikable then Carbink was. Seriously, once Slowking's gone my only possible threats are Zorua and maybe Lucario."**

 **0000**

Charizard stomped off towards his cabin, still stumbling a little bit in his haze. "Just leave me alone, Umbreon."

"You have two answers to all your problems, Charizard," Umbreon slurred. "Running away and beating up people."

"I-just stop," Charizard said, taking deep breaths. "I'm not someone you want to make angry."

He stepped up to the porch as Umbreon chuckled. "You nearly choking me to death was you when you're calm? What DO you do then?"

Charizard punched the wall of his cabin hard enough to crack it. "ENOUGH!"

He whirled around. "I'M NOT YOUR ENTERTAIMNENT!"

Umbreon gaped. "Are-are you crying?"

Charizard wiped at his eyes. When he spoke, it was deadly calm. "Leave. Right now. Or I will hurt you so bad. It's not even a threat."

Umbreon backed away, looking a little spooked. "Uh yeah, dude. See you tomorrow."

 **0000**

 **Charizard took a deep breath. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry, Lycanroc. If you're watching. I know my words mean nothing, and that's fine, but I needed to get them out there. I'm not sure what was up, but I swear to Arceus I did not mean that to happen."**

 **He sighed. "That being said, I can't back down now. My entire future hinges on how the rest of this competition plays out. My reputation is ruined and chances are, so is my job. If I win, I KNOW I can turn this around."**

 **0000**

Victini floated over to his cabin, still humming the DuckTales theme under his breath. When he tried to open his door, he found it locked. "What the hell?"

He banged on it. "Is anyone in there?"

Tapu Lele yawned as she opened the door. Her hair was disheveled and she had a blanket wrapped around her. "Oh…. hey Vicky. What's up?"

"Oh…..ew….not MY CABIN! HARRY, WHAT THE HELL, MAN!" Victini shouted.

Hariyama walked over, looking as energetic as ever. "Ah. Lost track of time. One tends to do that in his immortality."

"I…DUDE, did you even set up the challenge?" Victini asked.

"Hariyama was busy."

"UGGGGGH! FINE, WELL IT'S A GOOD THING THAT DRINKING PARTY THING MAKES A PERFECT PLAN B!"

0000

Zorua yawned, stretching a bit as she got up from her bed….of grass?

"Wait, where the hell am I?" Zorua said, shooting awake. She whirled around. The other campers were fast asleep in the grass around her. Zorua started to say something, but pain shot through her head and she groaned.

"Ow…..haha, killer hangover, dude," Infernape said, rubbing his own head. "Whoa, we must've been more drunk then I thought!"

"Obviously not," Shuckle said with a sigh. "Scrafty and I didn't touch the alcohol and we're over here too."

"That's because we got you out of your cozy little beds for the next challenge!" Victini shouted, flying in a helicopter.

"Of course!" Umbreon growled. "You always have an ulterior motive, you Mew reject!"

"Ouch, I thought you were done with those digs!" Victini snapped. "Anyway, blame Hariyama for breaking the bro code. Your challenge is to find your way back to camp from here! I dropped down some supply bags for each of you at the bottom of the hill! Oh, Charizard and Slowking? No flying or teleporting!"

"Dammit," Charizard said, groaning at the looks of triumph on his competitors faces. Meanwhile, Slowking merely shrugged.

"Since Zorua won alongside Dhelmise in that Alola challenge, she gets a compass as a reward!" Victini said.

"Wait, but….how will that help me if I don't know which direction camp is?" Zorua asked.

"You figure it out!" Victini said.

"Wait but you-SCREW YOU, VICTINI!" Zorua snarled.

"Oh! One last twist! The person who gets back to camp first wins a reward, while the one who arrives last is automatically eliminated!"

"FUCK!" Shuckle screamed.

"Yeah, sucks to be you, don't it?" Victini snickered. "Sorry, guys. But we're getting to the end, and you guys have been getting a _bit_ too smart for my challenges. Time to step it a notch!"

He flew off.

"Dammit," Lucario said, folding her arms. "I miss when Victini was calmer and more laidback."

"We're in the big leagues, honey," Scrafty admitted. "Personally, I've been stuck with you losers way too long. I'm glad the numbers are going to thin today."

"Feeling is mutual, hoodlum hardass," Umbreon drawled.

"Aw, c'mon guys!" Infernape said. "It's not so bad! Let's check out our loot!"

He sprinted over to the bag marked with his name and began rifling through it. "Cool, trail mix!"

"So, it seems that we don't all have the same items," Slowking noted, looking at the inside of his own bag. "Anyone like to make a trade?"

Everyone gave him suspicious looks.

"…What?"

 **0000**

 **Lucario shrugged. "Slowking's dangerous. I wouldn't trust him with an ice cream cone."**

 **0000**

" **Honestly, while I'm no fan of working with Scrafty, I'm still far more threatened by Slowking," Zorua admitted. "I just want him gone already so we can boot off the hoodlum freak."**

 **0000**

 **Shuckle sighed. "I'm so screwed. It's time to bid adieu. The curtain call. So long, farewell, auf wiedershen-"**

 **0000**

The campers took off in different directions, Charizard in the lead so he wouldn't have to interact with anybody. Lucario was climbing a tree, Tepig humming to himself as he walked forward without a care in the world, and Shuckle was struggling to wheel his own wagon forward.

Infernape examined Gallade leaving slash marks in the trees as a marker for his progress. He wondered if punching a tree would do any good…

"Infernape!" Slowking called, walking forward.

Infernape winced. "H-hey dude, what's up?"

Slowking gave him a smile. "Would you like to find camp together? Victini never said we couldn't pair up."

"I um…yeah, I might pass, dude," Infernape said awkwardly.

Slowking raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"N-nothing, I just…don't really feel like it!"

Slowking rolled his eyes. "You're a terrible liar. What's bothering you?"

Infernape sighed. "Look dude, Tsareena told me stuff about you! She said I can't trust you!"

"Of course, she would," Slowking groaned, rubbing his face. "I still do not understand why she hates me so much, but you have to trust me when I say-"

"She said it was too late in the game to trust your friends, and that you were just using me to help you!" Infernape said. "

Slowing grit his teeth. "Tsareena is a foolish woman, who-"

"Stop calling her that!" Infernape shouted. "She's my friend! I'm tired of you thinking that we're idiots! If I'm so dumb, you can win this challenge by yourself!"

He ran off, leaving Slowking dumbfounded. "But I didn't-"

He let out a deep sigh. "That monkey will be the death of me."

 **0000**

" **Damn you, Tsareena!" Slowking shouted. "I still don't understand your actions! There's no way a grudge from simply protesting the fairness of a challenge could drive you to hate me that much! What is your true purpose?"**

 **0000**

"This useless ass compass is useless!" Zorua snarled, chucking it.

"G'day Sheila, how ya going-whoa!" Tepig said as it missed his head by inches. "I thought we agreed no throwing things before marriage!"

"Ha, ha," Zorua said, rolling her eyes. "You want to help me figure out this stupid thing? I have no idea where we are."

"Nah, Sheila, I know these parts like the back of my fedora," Tepig said. "I'll see you around. I have quite a few things to accomplish today."

"Wait, what!" Zorua snapped. "You're just leaving me?" 

"Yeah! Have fun!" Tepig said, waving a hand as he walked off.

"Dick," Zorua groaned.

0000

"Okay, this is fine. I'm fine," Shuckle said, trying to reassure himself. "I'm just horribly outmatched in terms of power and speed, and I have no idea we're I'm going. Don't freak out."

Gallade jumped down in front of them, causing Shuckle to shriek.

Gallade gave a smile, lopsided smile. "Jumpy, aren't you?"

"Shhhh," Shuckle hissed. "Don't do that man, I'm on edge today. What do you even want?"

"Well, I consider you a decent guy," Gallade admitted. "I was hoping we could team up and last another night."

Shuckle raised an eyebrow. This sounded like a blessing, but still…. "Why would you come to me? You've spent the whole game keeping to yourself and not making allies. What gives?"

Gallade gritted his teeth. "Okay, fine. I actually have a horrible headache right now, and I can barely focus on where I'm going. If you act as the brain, then I'll be the legs."

Shuckle thought for a moment. "Fine. But under one condition."

"…Really?" Gallade asked. "You think you're in position to have conditions?"

"Oh yes," Shuckle said. "If I help you now, you have to vote with me every challenge until we reach the top five."

"I…What?" Gallade snapped.

"Why is that even so bad?" Shuckle asked. "Obviously, I can't make you vote for yourself, and do you even mind who is eliminated as long as you walk free?"

Gallade folded his arms. "….Fair enough. I agree to your terms." 

"Good!" Shuckle said. "Now pull my wagon and let's be on our way!"

 **0000**

" **I wanted a lifeline in case we were the last two to arrive," Gallade admitted. "This way, my safety is a guarantee as there is no way Shuckle can beat me to the finish line."**

 **0000**

" **Good thing I finally have a social connection," Shuckle said. "…. Finally. Oh, and I totally wrapped a string shot around his waist just in case we were the last two to arrive. I'd just use that momentum to swing myself over before he could."**

 **0000**

Victini yawned, lying down on a beach chair. "Now that I have a few hours to spare without worrying about annoying contestants, I can-"

"G'day mate!"

"AHHHHH! TEPIG! WHAT THE HELL, MAN!?" Victini shrieked.

Tepig snickered. "I got back. Easy challenge, mate."

"What…bu-but it's only been a half an hour!"

"I have a good sense of direction?" Tepig suggested innocently.

"Damn….well I guess you win a spot into the top nine Tepig, good work. Plus, a nice reward."

"Sweetness," Tepig said. "Oy, can I go back there?"

"Why would you want to?" Victini asked.

"It'll give you good ratings," Tepig said slyly.

"F-fair enough. Have fun," Victini said. Tepig stalked off, giggling to himself.

Victini sighed. "Sometimes I just don't know about that pig."

0000

Charizard stomped through the forest, scaring off all the bugs who tried to pester him with breaths of flame.

"I'd be careful, lest you burn the forest down," came a cool voice.

Charizard turned. Slowking was walking over to him, folding his arms. "What do you want?"

Slowking sighed. "To apologize. I'm sorry for what happened last challenge and my inadvertent role in what followed."

Charizard clenched his teeth. It would be _so_ easy to blame him. "No. It wasn't your fault. You were playing the game and I should have controlled my actions better."

Slowking sighed. "You misunderstand."

Charizard raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I was the one that caused you to lose the ability to control your anger," Slowking said. "My psychic powers have been messing with your brain."

Charizard gaped. "YOU WHAT!?"

Slowking shook his head. "That is why I'm apologizing. You were a threat and I wanted to knock you down a peg, but I was unjustified. You did not deserve that."

"Damn right, I didn't!" Charizard snarled. "STAY OUT OF MY HEAD!"

"Charizard, I've been out of your head since the pirate challenge," Slowking said. "All this uncontrollable rage? I'm not hindering you anymore. You just don't want to bottle it up again."

Charizard rushed forward, grabbing Slowking by the neck. "How dare you? You're that turned me into this…this…IT'S YOUR FAULT!"

"I instigated it," Slowking said, shoving him away with his psychic powers. "But you embraced it. This is the person you've become, Charizard. It's your own fault."

"How!? You were the one that CREATED ME!" Charizard roared. "I'm the victim!"

"You were never the victim!" Slowking hissed. "You were always a bitter, corrupt police officer with rage bubbling below the surface. You always bottled it up, but now you have to face your own true personality."

His tone softened. "But I'm still sorry for what you've done. Lycanroc and Umbreon never deserved that pain, and that is my greatest regret in the game. I've learned to accept myself, and it's about time you followed suit."

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Charizard howled. "YOU TURNED ME INTO A MONSTER!"

"You've done that yourself," Slowking said, shaking his head as he already started to walk away. "And while I certainly played a role, all I really ended up doing was revealing your true self."

"SHUT UP!" Charizard roared after him.

 **00000**

 **Charizard was chuckling. "See? It isn't my fault at all. It's his. I'm righteous, see? I can't control myself because he's manipulating me with psychic powers! Ha ha!"**

 **He suddenly glared at the camera. "I'll destroy him for what he did to me."**

 **0000**

Lucario was sitting on the highest tree she could find, peering over the treetops with the binoculars she found in her bag.

"Okay….I think I see that old castle thing….maybe I can head along the beach? That way-"

She dodged a rock thrown at her. Lucario looked down, glaring at Tepig, who was looking up at her. "You're lucky you have bad aim."

"Nah, Sheila," Tepig said. "I hit my target."

Lucario whirled around, staring in horror at the nest the rock had shattered. Beedrill swarmed out, eyes set on Lucario.

"Oh shit!" Lucario shouted, jumping down from the tree, chased by twenty different Beedrill. "Screw you, Tepig!"

Tepig chuckled. "I've been waiting for this day for a long time."

 **0000**

 **Tepig grinned, holding up a calendar. "I've been waiting for this date for months. It's Tepig's Trickster Day. Essentially, I prank everyone I can find in the most mean spirited of ways. Granted, it's gotten me arrested, but it's always worth it in the end. Lucario's just the first target."**

 **0000**

Infernape whistled to himself as he skipped across the forest. They may think he was dumb, but he hadn't run into a dead end yet! …Wait, it was a forest, not a maze. Shit.

"Oh! Hey! Wow!" Infernape said, gaping at a sign at a crosswalk. "How lucky am I?"

To the left, the arrow was labeled "Back to Camp". To the left, the arrow read "Quicksand ahead."

"Good thing this sign was here to put me in the right direction!" Infernape said, walking left.

After he was gone, Tepig burst out of the bushes. "I literally can't believe that worked."

He switched the signs around to their original positions. "I could probably nail someone else with this, but I am a gentleman, and a true gentleman knows not to use the same trick twice."

 **0000**

" **Tepig is NOT a gentleman," Zorua said, rolling her eyes. "Fucking idiot."**

 **0000**

" **I have a strict moral code when it comes to pranking!" Tepig snapped, looking offended. "Don't give me that look."**

 **0000**

"Okay, where the hell am I?" Scrafty snapped, arriving at the mouth of a river. "This challenge is total bullshit, man."

He crouched down, looking at his reflection. "Well, better hydrate myself if I want to….wait…is that Slow-?"

A wave of water grabbed him and forced him into the water, before Slowking burst out of the river. He used his psychic powers to create a water dome around the hoodlum.

"Ow, hey!" Scrafty spat. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Slowking smirked. "I'll be taking your bag now."

"I'll get your ass eliminated for stealing!" Scrafty snarled, trying to break free.

"That's ironic coming from the man who used thief to steal Gliscor's brightpowder," Slowking said.

"What!?" Scrafty said, his widening. "How did you find that out?"

Slowking's grin widened. "I didn't."

"You son of a BIIIIIIIIITICH!" Scrafty shouted as Slowking blasted him off with a jet of water. Scrafty banged against a tree, hitting the grass in a roll.

Scrafty banged his fist on the ground. "Oh, that is IT! He is SO eliminated."

He took a single step, before a rope tightened around his foot and hurled him into the air. Tepig walked over, admiring his handiwork. Scrafty was hanging in the air to a rope tied to a tree.

"Demolished," Tepig said. Scrafty groaned in frustration.

 **0000**

 **Scrafty was covered in dirt and leaves. "Today was NOT my challenge."**

 **0000**

 **Infernape was covered head to toe in sand. He was shivering. "Why do the signs LIE TO ME!?"**

 **0000**

"So, if you win, what do you plan to do with the money?" Shuckle asked, trying to make conversation.

Gallade shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm free to do whatever I want though, now that I don't have to worry about my idiot sister's safety. The more I think about it, the more relieved I feel."

"Play an instrument?" Shuckle asked. "We could always use a fourth member in our band. Plusle isn't very musically inclined."

Gallade glanced back. "When I was a Kirlia-"

Shuckle giggled.

"STUFF IT!" Gallade snarled. "I played the trumpet. But uh…once I evolved my hands weren't so good for it anymore. That's why I took up fighting, to be honest."

"Oh. Well, we'd er…be happy to have you!" Shuckle said, a little lamely.

"I'm still rusty, I'm sure," Gallade admitted. "But why the hell not? Not like I have anything better to do anyway."

"Bidoof knows how to play trumpet, maybe he'll give you lessons," Shuckle suggested. "Honestly…Munchlax told me that we're pretty popular now that we've been on television. We're already getting record deals and offers and stuff. It's crazy!"

They walked in silence for a while.

"I've always wanted to be a disc jockey to be honest," Gallade said. "Weird dream I've always had."

"A DJ?" Shuckle said. "Haha, you'd be good at record scratches, huh?"

"I now realize that your band is dumb and I'm going to eliminate you next chance I get," Gallade deadpanned. "Hey…is that the baseball diamond?"

"DUDE!" Shuckle shouted. "We have to be close!"

 **0000**

" **Gallade's actually a pretty cool guy," Shuckle said. "He can't handle bad jokes very well, though. Or um…. seeing. He's bumped into like twenty trees because he has no depth perception."**

 **0000**

Lucario jogged over to the finish line. "Woo! I'm first here!"

Victini shook his head. "Sorry Lucario, but you only get second place. Tepig beat you here by a wide margin."

"TEPIG? I lost to TEPIG?" Lucario asked, stunned.

"Yeah, funny, huh," Victini said. "Still, you're in the top nine along with Tepig! Anything you have to say at that?"

"Sure, I guess," Lucario said, looking at the camera. "This place sucks, but if I win a large sum of money, then I guess everything will be worth it. Also, Pokken please pick me!"

"Whoa, hey!" Victini said. "Another member of the top nine has just been revealed! Congrats for getting third place!"

"ONLY THIRD?" Zorua asked. "Victini, this compass sucks! Where did you even get it? From a keychain?"

"Shhh," Victini said. "Stop complaining. Not my fault that you two aren't as good as Tepig-"

Zorua threw the compass, hitting Victini on the head and knocking him out.

Zorua grinned. "Huh, I guess it DID have some use after all. Now to do the same thing to Tepig."

 **0000**

" **Eh, I don't TRUST Zorua per se," Lucario said. "But I'd totally hold Tepig in a full nelson while she beats him up. Is that a fair way to gauge our relationship?"**

 **0000**

"Oh, hey," Umbreon said, her eyes widening at a cave. "I'm pretty sure that's the same place Infernape and his band of morons were staying back in the hide and seek challenge. Must be close. Cool."

She wandered over. "Eh, nobody will notice if I take a nap or something. I'll still totally make it before Shuckle."

She walked inside, but then a moment later a loud roar could be heard. Umbreon sprinted out of the cave, chased by an Ursaring, who was bellowing after her.

 **0000**

 **Umbreon shrugged. "Wait so is that ONE Ursaring who keeps chasing us? Or like, a band of brothers or something?"**

 **0000**

"I hate this show," Charizard said, resisting the urge to release a breath of flame. "What is the point of having wings if I can't use them to begin with!"

He arrived at the same crossroad that Infernape had arrived at earlier, and glanced at the sign. "Okay, this seems far too good to be true."

He eyed an empty bottle of moomoo milk. "Ha! I knew it! That bastard Tepig switched the signs. Oldest trick in the book. That means the true path back to camp is to the left!"

He walked forward, before feeling his feet become stuck. He glanced down. Infernape was standing next to him, up to his waist in quicksand. "Hey dude."

Charizard sighed, the sand already rising to his knees. "God dammit."

 **0000**

 **Tepig tried to keep a straight face, before bursting into laughter. "I didn't think….I wasn't even trying to prank anyone that time! That was GOLD!"**

 **0000**

0000

"Wow, guys! Four and five?" Victini said, looking impressed. "Nice work, Shuckle. You won your immunity."

"Wait, I made top five?" Shuckle said, gaping. "I'm not doomed?"

"Not yet, anyway," Gallade said, shrugging. "I can't drag you along forever."

Shuckle sighed. "I guess I'll just wait here for the rest of the guys. Hopefully someone I don't like is eliminated."

 **0000**

" **Look, I know I don't exactly look like a threat," Shuckle admitted. "But hopefully this is proof enough that I can hold my own. Okay …Gallade totally carried me, but still! I know what I'm doing, I swear!"**

 **0000**

" **Shuckle's been telling me not to trust Scrafty," Gallade said. "Still, Scrafty is one of the people I know better than most, and he seems like a half decent person, so I'm taking what Shuckle says with a grain of salt."**

 **0000**

With a burst of energy, Charizard flew out of the quicksand, feeling his foot finally tug free.

"Nice, dude!" Infernape said. The sand had had risen to his neck. "Now help me!"

Charizard hesitated for a minute. "Is the sand still rising? Are you in immediate danger?"

Infernape glanced down. "Uh, no. I'm at the bottom I think. Still kind of uncomfortable though, haha."

Charizard sighed. "Then I'm afraid I can't help you. Sorry, Infernape."

"WHAT!?" Infernape shouted. "You can't LEAVE me here!"

"I have no choice," Charizard said. "You're far faster then me on land, so I'd be at great risk of getting automatically eliminated. I'm sure you understand."

Infernape strained to look as Charizard stomped off. "Okay, I do, but this is still a dick move, bro! C'mon man, please? Charizard?"

He sighed. "Well, at least he made sure I wasn't dying beforehand."

 **0000**

" **I feel like with Charizard it's baby steps, y'know?" Infernape said. "Like okay, he broke my nose, but he also sometimes lets me look at his supercool police badge. Give and take, yeah?"**

 **0000**

Scrafty groaned, stumbling along the path. For some reason, Tepig loved pranking him in particular.

"Just get to the damn finish line," Scrafty groaned. "Then you can give him the beating of a lifetime."

Out of nowhere, someone rammed into him, and they both fell over. "…Umbreon? What the hell?"

"Dude, scatter!" Umbreon shouted, running off as Ursaring ran forward, roaring.

"Oh, come on!" Scrafty shouted, running away, Ursaring right on his tail.

0000

"Not, bad, Slowking, you made sixth place," Victini said. "You're lucky Tepig hasn't tried to prank you too hard."

"Dodged a bullet then," Slowking said with a chuckle. "Out of curiosity, who hasn't arrived yet?"

"Well, let's see," Victini said, looking over a checklist. "Charizard-"

"I'm right here," Charizard said, walking over.

All of the contestants groaned.

"Oh, shut up!" Charizard snapped. "If you hate me that much then vote me off next chance you get!"

"Oh, we will," Zorua promised.

 **0000**

" **Just not right away," Zorua admitted. "Seriously, I am not at all worried about him winning, considering how much everyone hates him. He can be dead weight for a while longer until we take out the actual threats."**

 **0000**

"Okay, so with Charizard taking seventh place, there are only two remaining spots for top nine and three unlucky campers," Victini said. "Infernape, Umbreon, and Scrafty. Place your bets, folks!"

"Oh, are we going to bet on this?" Lucario asked. "Because Infernape is totally screwed. Umbreon and Scrafty are just out of his league."

"Umbreon, really?" Zorua asked. "Since when did SHE care? She's probably off taking a nap in some cave."

"Wait, Scrafty's still out there?" Shuckle gasped. "Please, Arceus, do me a solid!"

"Yeah, I've been pranking the hell out of him today," Tepig admitted. "Good times."

"This is the greatest day of my life!" Shuckle shouted.

0000

Infernape groaned, doing his best to break out of the quicksand. "Oh, come on! If I don't hurry, I'll be eliminated!"

He strained a bit, before focusing all his power. "I got it! PUNCHING SOLVES EVERY PROBLEM!"

 **0000**

" **See, the problem was that I wasn't punching** _ **hard**_ **enough," Infernape said, grinning. "That was it. That was my epiphany."**

 **0000**

"Shit, I'm on the chopping block!?" Scrafty snarled. "Damn you, Tepig!"

He continued to jog along the beach. "Still, I have to be close, right? I can still make it in time….I just need to make my victory foolproof…."

0000

"Ah! Here comes our eighth camper!" Victini shouted. "Wait….is she being chased by an Ursaring?"

"Split! Split! Split!" Umbreon shouted, barreling past the finish line. Ursaring lunged after her, but Victini merely sighed and flicked a finger, sending the bear flying.

"How the hell did you piss him off this time?" Lucario asked.

Umbreon gasped. "I was napping in his cave."

Zorua folded her arms. "See?"

"So, it's between Infernape and Scrafty, then?" Gallade asked.

"I know the one I prefer," Slowking muttered.

"Ooh, is that someone up ahead?" Victini asked. "Time to see who's eliminated; Scrafty or Infernape?"

Silence.

Then Scrafty burst out of the foliage, running for the finish line at top speeds. Slowking and Shuckle both groaned, and Tepig sighed.

He was halfway there when Infernape came into view.

"INFERNAPE! YOU'RE FASTER THAN HE IS!" Shuckle shouted. "YOU CAN STILL MAKE IT! RUN!"

Infernape's eyes widened, before he sprinted as fast as his feet could carry him. Scrafty glanced behind him and swore.

As the finish line loomed closer and closer, the distance between them was narrowed, as Infernape's natural speed outclassed Scrafty's.

"You're so close, Infernape!" Shuckle shouted.

"He's not going to make it," said Zorua.

"Yes, he is!" Lucario said, pointing. "Look!"

Infernape caught up, grinning. For a moment, Scrafty struggled to keep pace, but he stood no chance against Infernape in a footrace….

So, he stuck out his leg.

Infernape, failing to anticipate the foul move, fell headfirst into the grass, his fingertips an inch away from the finish line. Scrafty dove, rolling to the other side.

"And Scrafty BARELY manages to beat out Infernape in the end!" Victini said. "Man, that was tense!"

"THIS IS THE WORST DAY OF MY LIFE!" Shuckle shouted.

"S-sucks to be you," Scrafty said, smirking, but it was apparent that he was incredibly relieved.

"Sorry Infernape," Victini said. "But because you're in last place, you've been automatically eliminated."

Infernape groaned, his face still in the dirt.

Slowking sighed, helping Infernape to his feet. "You went down fighting."

"Yeah dude," Infernape said, rubbing the back of his head. "Top ten isn't bad at all! Just…ow…that hurt Scrafty."

"Did what I had to, bro," Scrafty said with a shrug. "You understand."

Most of the cast glared daggers at him.

"Pack your things, Infernape," Victini said. "It's time to go home."

 **0000**

" **Honestly?" Infernape said. "I was getting a little bummed out. Everyone was getting super depressing and strategic and I started feeling alienated, y'know?" He grinned. "Still, I had a great time! I don't really care who wins, but Charizard and Scrafty kinda screwed me over, so I guess not them? I don't know. I don't want to create too much drama, man."**

 **0000**

"You'll be missed," Lucario said, giving Infernape a hug. "Have a nice trip back home."

"Uh...yeah," Zorua said, feeling a little awkward. "Keep Ampharos in line for me, all right?"

"Sure thing, little pal!" Infernape said, patting Zorua on the head. Zorua seethed.

"Sorry to see you go, mate," Tepig said, holding out a hand. When Infernape shook it, he felt a zap. 

Tepig snickered, showing off his Joy buzzer. "Sorry mate, couldn't help myself." Infernape chuckled appreciatively.

The last person to greet him was Slowking, who looked somber. "You played a good game, Infernape. Far smarter then you get credit for."

"Aww, thanks brother," Infernape said, giving him a high five. "Sorry for getting all defensive earlier. You're a good friend."

Slowking blushed a little. "Oh. Thank you, Infernape. That means a lot."

"Are you _crying?"_ Tepig asked, chortling. Slowking threw him into the water with his mind.

 **0000**

" **Wonderful, my only friend has been eliminated," Slowking said with a sigh. "Damn you twice, Tsareena. You found a way to irk me even after we've parted ways."**

 **He folded his arms. "I'm a target. It's about time I finally took care of Scrafty. He's had it in for me ever since we hit the merge. Pity he wasn't eliminated today."**

 **0000**

 **Charizard blushed in the confessional. "I uh…. I wrote a formal apology to Lycanroc. Whether she replies or not, I just want to get closure."**

 **0000**

Tepig was humming to himself as he opened the door to his cabin. He took a single step, before a bucket of water landed on top of him, splashing the pig with water. He stumbled around, stepping on strategically placed mousetraps, before hitting a tripwire that fell flat on his face.

"Aha! We got him!" Lucario shouted in victory.

"Too easy," Scrafty said, folding his arms. "That was revenge."

"I'm NOT TEPIG, MORONS!" Zorua screamed, as she changed back into her true form. "I was SUPPOSED TO BE THE BAIT, REMEMBER?"

"Oh shit," Umbreon said. "We screwed up."

Scrafty gulped, backing away. 

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" Zorua snarled, chasing them outside of the cabin.

 **0000**

" **You know, at this point I should try running a marathon," Umbreon gasped.**

 **0000**

 **Tepig shook his head. "Some blokes just don't have it."**

 **0000**

That's it! A far, FAR, shorter chapter then I'm sure you guys are used to, but with fewer characters it's to be expected. Still...this is like the second shortest chapter of the story. Hope you guys still enjoyed regardless!

Despite the length, it has a lot of development going on! And we finally say bye to Infernape, meaning the cast is made up of only assholes at this point. Sorry about that.

Expect the next chapter in the near future! I want this story over with, dammit!

Infernape: Review, my dudes! Or punch stuff. Your choice!


	30. Chapter 30: The True Villains

0000

"Not too many of us left, huh," Lucario said, lifting weights without really paying attention to them.

"Yeah…." Umbreon said over her game of go fish against Slowking. "Honestly, it's been so nice and quiet. I wish we started out as one of those seasons with like…twelve competitors instead of friggin' forty."

They were sitting in the game shack, which felt very odd without Shuckle and his friends. Lucario couldn't help but feel slightly nostalgic.

"Do you ladies have any plan on who to vote for next?" Slowking asked, making sure to keep his tone light.

"Uh….you?" Umbreon said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, have to admit, you're probably the most dangerous player in the game," Lucario said with a grunt.

"Fair enough, I suppose," Slowking said, looking flattered. "But there are surely other threats as well. Like Charizard for example."

Lucario and Umbreon exchanged a glance. "Eh…"

"I don't think ANYONE likes him at this point," Lucario said. "He's already on his last legs to begin with."

Slowking shrugged. "I'd be careful. Just my opinion, but he'll be dangerous if he slips through the cracks. What if the final few challenges turn out to be automatic eliminations? Charizard is very powerful physically, and he's far from an idiot."

"I suppose that's fair," Umbreon said.

"Don't forget the fact that he has a mega evolution as well," Slowking added. "Lucario, you know firsthand how powerful they can be."

Lucario bit her lip. "Good point."

 **0000**

" **Despite my tension with Charizard, that play wasn't really to get him eliminated," Slowking said. "In truth, I'm just trying to alleviate the target on my back." He sighed. "At this rate, I'm not sure if I can survive another elimination ceremony."**

 **0000**

 **Umbreon chuckled. "Slowking's a slippery snake, but he makes a good point. Truth is, I just want that overgrown lizard with anger issues gone already."**

 **0000**

"Really?" Tepig chortled. "HE'S the person you want to work with? Bloke's a spazz."

"Shhh," Zorua said. "He's smart."

They stepped into a cabin, just in time for a pillow to strike Tepig in the face. Zorua looked up and gaped. The beds had been pushed off to the side, as a massive pillow fort had taken up the space in the center.

Shuckle stood atop the fort, wearing face paint and several pillowed strapped to his shell as armor. "Who dares enter my lair!"

"Okay, he's a _little_ bit of a spazz," Zorua admitted. "Hey Shuckle. I wanted to talk strategy with you."

"Oh, really?" Shuckle asked, before tripping and tumbling down the fort.

"Yeah," Zorua said. "Tepig and I are thinking about finally giving Slowking the boot, and we could use your help."

"Okay, one, I'm more concerned about Scrafty then Slowking," Shuckle said. "Two, why should I trust you two? Zorua, you're responsible for eliminating two members of my alliance!"

"That was me, actually," Tepig piped up.

 **0000**

 **Shuckle rolled his eyes. "Tepig covered for Zorua. It's so obvious!"**

 **0000**

"Look, you don't have to trust me!" Zorua said. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry. It was nothing personal at all."

"Yeah, yeah," Shuckle groused. "So, what? You just want my vote?"

"Well, we were wondering if you knew how to knock him down a peg," Zorua said. "You're supposedly the strategy guy."

"Fine," Shuckle said. "What's in it for me?"

Zorua sighed. "Look dude, once Slowking's gone, we'll help you eliminate Scrafty."

Shuckle raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"I have no love for him," Zorua said. "After that, we take out Charizard pretty easily and the three of us are in top six! That good enough for you?"

Shuckle hesitated. "Fine. There's one surefire way we can hurt him, but you'll need an opening…"

"An opening for what?" Zorua asked over Tepig's snores. Apparently, he had gotten bored of the conversation.

"To remove the Shellder on his head," Shuckle said, with an evil smirk.

 **0000**

" **Wait, so let me get this straight," Zorua said. "Shuckle is perfectly okay with removing the very thing that makes Slowking sentient and not a vegetable, which could traumatize him for life and completely destroy his self-worth?" She grinned. "He may not be so bad after all."**

 **0000**

"So, Tapu Lele," Victini said, sipping a coffee. He was never in a good mood during the movies.

"Yes?" Tapu Lele asked, chomping her toast.

"Uh…why are you still here?" Victini asked. "Because I have to pay extra when other legendaries have screen time."

"Oh, just hanging around," Tapu Lele said. "Hariyama and I are watching his old battle against Mewtwo on his old Teachy TV. Want to join us?"

"That fight was so overrated!" Victini shouted. "Why does it have to be brought up like, every chapter!"

"Ooh, I forgot how jealous you got," Tapu Lele teased. "You STILL hate Mewtwo for having a better grade point average. And you had that crush on me since like, forever."

"I DID have a crush on you, before I realized how much of a slut you are!" Victini said.

"I am not a slut!" Tapu Lele said.

"You are _such_ a slut," Victini countered.

"Okay, I'm a little bit of a slut," Tapu Lele admitted.

"And Mewtwo shouldn't have even been allowed in the school to begin with! He was born in a lab! He barely even counts as a legendary Pokemon!" Victini shouted.

"Oh, this debate again," Tapu Lele said, rolling her eyes.

"Don't even get me started on Ultra Beasts! Ultra-Beasts aren't even Pokemon! I shouldn't have to hide in the bathroom because some of them identify as males!" Victini snarled.

"Dude, you're getting real controversial here," Tapu Lele said.

"Ughhh, fine, I'll stop," Victini groaned. "By the way, where's Tapu Fini? I haven't seen her at all."

"Oh, she's still unconscious," Tapu Lele said.

"Unconcious?"

Tapu Lele sighed, drooling a bit. "It was an intense night."

"Ew, gross!" Victini said, floating away. "I don't want to hear what you did with my co-host! I'm leaving, not because I have to host the challenge, but because your risqué behavior disgusts me!"

"Oh riiiight," Tapu Lele said. "I forgot how gay you were."

"I am not gay! I am as straight as an arrow!"

"Yeah, only around dudes," Tapu Lele said.

"I-I have to go host the challenge!" Victini snapped, flying off.

 **0000**

 **Tapu Lele giggled. "He's queer."**

 **0000**

"Are you sure you're okay?" Lucario asked, raising an eyebrow. "Because you're aura…is rainbow colored for some reason."

"Shut up, Lucario," Victini said. "Okay, so today's challenge is something I like to call…open season."

"Wait, we're going hunting!?" Tepig asked. "This challenge is going to be a ripsnorter!"

"I don't speak Aussie, Tepig," Victini said, rolling his eyes.

"Pshh, I don't speak moron, but I always try to understand you," Tepig said.

"Okay, shut up," Victini said. "I hate to give you a reward for your assholery, but here."

He threw Tepig a box of hunting supplies. "Each of you guys will pull a name out of a hat. The name you get will be the Pokemon you have to catch and bring back to camp. Oh, and you can't KILL the Pokemon either, so that loophole's off the table."

Scrafty snapped his fingers in disappointment. "Ah, damn."

"Tepig has some badass hunting tools thanks to his overwhelming victory last challenge," Victini said. "The rest of you are to share Mewtwo and Hariyama's hunting shed."

"Wait, Mewtwo and Hariyama go on hunting trips?" Shuckle asked.

"Yeah, they're bosom buddies," Victini said. "So, you have five minutes to get your supplies. Go on, get!"

 **0000**

" **He was in a curt mood today," Slowking noted. "I wonder why."**

 **0000**

"Dibs on the taser," Scrafty said, snatching it.

"Why is there a taser in there to begin with?" Lucario asked, looking alarmed.

"Don't know, don't care."

Umbreon shrugged, picking up a butterfly net, while Gallade picked up several buckets and some berries to use as bait.

"Is this a…..rocket launcher?" Zorua asked, picking it up. "How intense do legendary hunts even _get?"_

Slowking lifted a fishing rod with his mind. "I believe it is wise not to ask."

"You guys have three minutes remaining!" Victini announced.

"Oh jeez," Shuckle gulped, blinking out of a trance. "I zoned out!"

He scrambled over to a pile of boxes and dumped them into his wagon.

"Wait, you're not allowed to do that!" Scrafty snapped.

"Loopholes, bitch!" Shuckle chortled as he dragged his wagon outside.

"Well, since he took all the good stuff, there's no point staying in here," Lucario grumbled.

A moment later, the remaining campers arrived with what little they had salvaged. Tepig and Shuckle were waiting for them, both giving smug looks.

Victini arrived, carrying a cowboy hat. "Tepig, you get first draw."

Tepig picked up a slip of paper. "I have to find….a Durant. Ohoho, Colombian dish? Sign me the hell up! Anybody have salt?"

"You're not eating them, Tepig!" Victini shouted. "Slowking, you next."

He pulled out the paper with his psychic powers. "Hmm….Tentacool."

"Oh, make sure to get that dried," Tepig said. "Delish!"

"Tepig, stop it! Shuckle?"

Shuckle gulped. "U-ursaring? Well, I have to admit that I _do_ like the taste of bear meat-"

"YOU'RE NOT EATING THE POKEMON!" Victini snarled. "Honestly, what is wrong with you immoral pieces of shit!?"

Lucario took the opportunity to snatch her own slip of paper. "Psyduck. Okay."

Umbreon reached into hers. I have….GIRATINA? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"

"Is there a problem, Umbreon?" Victini asked innocently.

"HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO CAPTURE THE POKEMON EQUIVALENT OF SATAN IN A BUTTERFLY NET!" Umbreon snarled.

Victini gulped. "Well, in all fairness, it _is_ rumored that Vivillon shares a connection with-"

"NO!"

"M-moving on," Victini said. "You go next, Scrafty."

"Pineco. That's fair, I suppose," Scrafty said.

"And then I get Aipom?" Gallade asked looking at his own slip of paper. "I can live with this, I guess."

Charizard shrugged at his choice of Joltik, while Zorua was fine with her pick of Starly.

"Okay!" Victini announced. "You kids have fun out there! Oh, and the more damaged your Pokemon is, the less points you get. Capiche?"

"Let me guess," Charizard said, pointing to himself and Slowking. "No flying or psychic powers."

"Eh, you're okay to use them this time," Victini said.

Slowking's eye gleamed. " _Interesting."_

"Easy tiger," Victini said. "I hate it when psychics get that look."

"Aren't you a psychic?" Gallade drawled.

Zorua nudged Tepig. "Okay, look. The plan for Slowking is-"

"Raincheck, love," Tepig said.

"What? Why!?" Zorua shouted.

"We've been constantly together for the past few weeks," Tepig said. "A bloke needs his personal space!"

"B-but,"

"Just for this challenge. I need time to go dick around and piss people off," Tepig said. "All work and no play makes Tepig a very dull pig."

Zorua sputtered, but Tepig was already whistling along his merry way.

 **0000**

" **I can't take Slowking alone," Zorua admitted. "And with Tepig busy being a douchebag and Shuckle not wanting to actually get his hands dirty, I need to find an ally. But who else would be willing to risk losing the challenge to….bring down….Slowking…"**

 **She groaned. "Son of a bitch!"**

 **0000**

Charizard took to the skies as Slowking headed for the dock. Lucario and Umbreon walked together into the forest, followed by Gallade and Shuckle. Scrafty made to follow them, but Zorua grabbed his arm and shoved him behind a bush.

"Ow, what gives?" Scrafty snarled, wrenching his arm away.

"I need your help," Zorua hissed. "You wanted Slowking out, yeah?"

"…I'm listening," Scrafty said, putting a cigarette in his mouth.

"We have a plan. A plan that involves-"

"Who came up with this plan?" Scrafty asked.

"I-I don't have to answer that!" Zorua blustered.

"It was Shuckle, wasn't it?"

"I-who cares? It's a good plan. Look, are you in or out? Because this may be our best shot at taking out Slowking," Zorua said.

Scrafty rolled his eyes, shaking her hand. "Fine. I'm in. But you're next, Ice Queen."

Zorua sighed. "I'd figured you'd say that."

 **0000**

" **I'm guessing Zorua thinks that between her, Shuckle, and Tepig she'll be able to vote me off," Scrafty said. "If that's the case I'm going to have to convince some of the others that she's a greater threat."**

 **0000**

" **We have three votes against Scrafty guaranteed," Zorua said. "It's the others like Lucario and Gallade that'll be the real mysteries."**

 **0000**

Shuckle wheeled his wagon over to the mouth of the cave. He peered over the crates that he had nicked. "Okay….net, bait, ooh…nice bear traps, a few tranq guns, umm…lasers? And uh...oh wow! Eating and sleeping habits of bears! I really hit the jackpot with this!"

He looked around carefully, before crawling out of his wagon. "Now to set all this stuff up before the big guy wakes up."

0000

Charizard flew overhead, growing more and more angry by each passing moment. "Wonderful. I'm finally allowed to fly in the challenge where it's essentially useless. I'm not even going to SEE the Joltik, much less capture it."

Resigned to his fate, He touched down to the ground. "How does one even catch a Joltik, anyway? It's an electric type, so maybe if I found good bait…"

As if on cue, a Pikachu passed by. "Wow! I actually get a chance to be in one of these shows. Hello! My name is-"

Charizard grabbed the rodent by his neck, proceeding to slam him into a tree. Though the Pikachu's eyes rolled back into his head, Charizard slammed him onto the ground a few more times for good measure.

"There. Tons of electricity for you to absorb!" Charizard shouted, cupping a hand to his mouth. "Be my guest!"

A few minutes passed.

"Well!? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?"

 **0000**

" **I've never been….the most patient person," Charizard admitted, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not even allowed near ice cream trucks anymore because I kept burning them down when the lines got too long. I'm even officially blacklisted and everything."**

 **0000**

Slowking settled down at the pier, casting out his fishing rod. Stretching a little, he got himself comfortable.

He was about to doze off when a thought struck him.

If he wanted to win, he couldn't wait like a regular fisherman.

Groaning, he set down his fishing rod, before focusing his psychic powers. With a grunt of effort, he lifted a large bubble of water from the ocean, teeming with various water Pokemon.

"Yes, this'll do," Slowking said in satisfaction as he searched for a Tentacool. "Magikarp, Finneon, Luvdisc, Magikarp, Goldeen, Remoraid, Mantyke, Magikarp-"

0000

Gallade whistled a tune under his breath as he walked through a dense forest. He really didn't know much about Aipom, but he figured that they'd like being in the trees.

"Please come out," he pleaded. He REALLY could use the immunity, even though he was fairly sure he wasn't on the chopping block. Other Pokemon were creating far more drama than he, but he wasn't going to take any chances.

"Ow!" Gallade shouted as a coconut hit him on the head. Gallade whirled around, eying at the giggling Aipom ahead of him. "Stop throwing things you little brat!"

Aipom made a noise, before turning and hopping from tree to tree.

"No, get back here! Please!" Gallade shouted, sprinting after it.

 **0000**

" **Why the hell were coconuts even there in the first place?" Gallade asked, rubbing the back of his head. "We're on an island off the coast of a region based on Japan!"**

 **0000**

Umbreon stalked through a marsh, mumbling to herself about converting to Giratinaism.

She flopped down when she arrived at a lake, looking down at her own reflection. "I don't even know why I'm worried about TRYING to capture it. Giratina lives in his own dimension, so there's no chance I'd even-"

Giratina walked over to the lake, across from Umbreon. He leaned over to drink from the water.

"-find….it." Umbreon gulped, before diving behind some bushes. "Well, you're fresh out of excuses, Umbreon."

 **0000**

 **Victini scowled. "Giratina does this on purpose! Every time he uses shadow force to my island, somehow it becomes MY responsibility to pay for all the travel bills because he's too IMPORTANT of a legendary to pay taxes!" He sighed. "I don't know why he hates me. I never did anything to him in college."**

 **He blinked. "Oh. Well there WAS that one thing…"**

 **0000**

"-Basculin, Frillish, Alomola, Magikarp…AGAIN," Slowking counted, growing more and more frustrated. "Honestly. Tentacool are everywhere, and JUST when you need it the most they disappear like Whimsi-"

A fist collided with his face. Slowking stumbled back, dropping his mini aquarium. He rubbed his jaw and stared at Scrafty, who was in a fighting stance.

"Surprise attacks are rude," Slowking said, his eyes glowing with psychic power. The dock right in front of Scrafty exploded, sending the hoodlum flying. He hit the ground rolling, landing back on his feet.

"I presume you're doing this out of vengeance for my own surprise attack on you last challenge," Slowking said, walking forward. Water shot up, forming whips that surrounded Slowking, slapping the grass in front of him occasionally.

Scrafty hesitated for a moment, as if confused, before grinning. "Uh…yeah. That's why I'm here. You're going down, egghead."

Slowking narrowed his eyes. His psychic powers wouldn't work against Scrafty's typing. "You can still walk away, you know. Picking a fight with me is a foolish move."

"Oh, get off your high Rapidash," Scrafty drawled. "You're not bluffing your way out of this one."

Slowking snapped a finger, and the water whips shot forward. "I wasn't planning to."

 **0000**

 **Tepig clutched his nose. "Urgh, sixth sense nosebleed. Hate it when that happens. Either Zorua finally sent me nudes, or something REALLY kickass is happening right now. I better not be missing anything cool."**

 **0000**

Lucario ducked behind a tree, staring at a squad of Psyduck as they wandered across the way.

"Should be easy enough," Lucario muttered to herself as she made a quick plan in her head. Psyduck were dumb, right? Would they even notice one being kidnapped?

"G'day, Sheila!"

Lucario jumped and shrieked.

Tepig giggled. "Jumpy little kangaroo, aren't you."

"Don't _do_ that!" Lucario hissed. "What do you even want?"

"Just wanted to know who you were voting for after the challenge," Tepig said.

"Oh…" Lucario said. "I don't know. Probably Charizard? Why?"

"Oh no reason," Tepig said innocently. "Just wanted to keep tabs."

"Okay, that's bullshit and we both know it," Lucario said, folding her arms. "Out with it."

Tepig shrugged. "I just had a good idea on who to vote for. Thought you might like to join me."

"Eh…." Lucario said. "Not like I have anything to lose at this point, anyway. Who did you have in mind?"

 **0000**

" **I'm going to need allies again," Lucario admitted. "We're really close to the end, and while the target's off my back because of Zorua, Slowking, and Charizard, it won't be long before I'm seen as a threat." She thought for a moment. "Maybe I can befriend Shuckle? He seems like a nice guy, and I hit it off with his best buddy a while ago. He's eccentric, but I can work with that."**

 **0000**

Scrafty rolled around, dodging the water whips to the best of his ability. Slowking raised an eyebrow; the hoodlum was far quicker than he expected.

"What is your purpose?" Slowking goaded. "You _know_ you cannot break through my defenses. All you're managing to do is waste time."

Scrafty rolled under a whip, springing up and aiming a punch that Slowking dodged with ease. "If you were even half as intelligent as you'd like us to believe, you'd already know!"

Slowking rolled his eyes, unleashing a wave that blasted Scrafty backwards. Scrafty groaned and flicked a cigarette, which burned into Slowking's shoulder.

"Ow." Slowking's whips finally succeeded in wrapping around Scrafty's limbs. Slowking smirked, slapping him against the ground a few times before pinning Scrafty to a tree.

"Not a terrible attempt," Slowking said, walking forward. "But it's over.

"What was your purpose in attacking me, anyway?" Slowking asked. "Don't tell me that you expected to win?"

Scrafty shook his head. "Well, not me, but Scrafty totally will."

Scrafty's form shimmered, and he turned into Zorua. Slowking's eyes widened, but before he could react, the real Scrafty jumped out from his hiding place, landing a fake out that stunned him.

In his shock, he lost control of the water, allowing Zorua to roll free. Scrafty followed up by using thief, punching Slowking in the face…before proceeding to rip Shellder off Slowking's head.

Slowking immediately straightened, clutching his head as a myriad of headaches washed over him. Scrafty ran over to Zorua, helping her up, before they sprinted into the thicket, Shellder still tucked under Scrafty's arm.

Slowking stumbled, already feeling his psychic powers and identity slipping away. "Argh….no….stop…please…."

He propped up against a tree, forcing himself to stare at it. Slowly, his vision cleared.

"Don't…panic," Slowking whispered to himself. "You can't lose Shellder….you must get him back."

With a grunt, he shot a hydro pump at the ground, propelling himself after Scrafty and Zorua. His eyes narrowed.

"At any cost."

0000

Shuckle peeked out from the rock he was taking refuge behind. He had gone overboard with the traps, which included nets, a tripwire, bear traps, countless berries for bait, and even a minefield.

"Okay, what the hell is taking so long?" Shuckle muttered to himself. "According to my studies, he shouldn't even be in his cave right now. Dammit I knew I should have remembered night vision goggles."

Someone tapped him on the back.

Shuckle glanced behind him. "Oh, hey, Ursaring. I need you to be quiet so I can trap this dumb bear. I really want to…win…this…challenge."

He sighed, looking at Ursaring's enraged expression.

"Oh. Well, I'm fucked, aren't I?"

0000

Gallade jumped from tree to tree, aiming vicious slices at the Aipom, who avoided his attacks with ease. Gallade gritted his teeth. If he could fight the monkey on even ground, it wouldn't even be a contest. But as it was…

Gallade slid to a stop on a branch, digging his scythe into the bark to steady himself. Even if he COULD catch the Aipom, Victini didn't want them injured. He was no longer the image of a silent warrior he had pretended to be. For once, he could actually try strategizing.

"I give," Gallade said, flopping down. "You win."

"Whaaaat," the Aipom said, almost slipping. "That's no fun!"

"Well, you're far too skilled for me," Gallade admitted. "I don't stand a chance against your agility."

"That's true," the Aipom said, flattered. "But why won't you even try?"

Gallade thought for a moment. "I suppose I don't plan on giving up. I've always solved my problems by destroying them….but I'm sick of being that person. I'd like to be more versatile in my approach to the game, and life in general."

"Wow, this sounds like an interesting story!" Aipom said, sitting down next to him. "Spill!"

"I….well there's no point in hiding it now, I guess," Gallade said. "It's a long story."

"Dude, I have time!" Aipom said, grabbing popcorn with her tail.

 **0000**

" **Not the most exciting way to spend a challenge, but I must admit it felt good to get the full story off my chest," Gallade said. "Maybe now I can move forward."**

 **0000**

Umbreon slowly snuck her way up to Giratina, holding the butterfly net in her mouth. "This is so fucking stupid. I'm going to die, and for some reason I'm still attempting this."

At this point, she was only really trying out of obligation. Also, Giratina was REALLY attractive, with his sexy wings, and his six half wings…

"Whoa, whoa," Umbreon said, slapping herself in the face. "He's the overlord of darkness, not a love interest!"

She climbed up a tree behind him, tensing. Counting to three, and begging to Arceus that she'd survive with her life….she pounced on the dragon, swinging down her net on his head.

"OW! HEY!" Giratina reared back, flailing his front legs. "WHO DARES ATTACK THE MIGHTY GIRATINA!"

"Uh…hi!" Umbreon said, trying to keep her voice even. "I sort of have to capture you."

"WHAT!? THE IDEA IS LAUGHABLE!" Giratina shouted. "Still….I admire your bravery!"

"I admire your really hot red eyes…." Umbreon said.

"AHA! You also rock the red eyes look!" Giratina cackled. "I like you, mortal! Perhaps you'd like to visit my pad in the distortion world?"

"Fuck yeah, I would!" Umbreon said. "Are you uh….carrying?"

"HAHAHAHA! They don't call me the 'RENEGADE POKEMON' for nothing!" Giratina said.

"Ha, nice." Umbreon smirked.

Lucario was chasing a Psyduck, looking up just in time to see Giratina and Umbreon vanish into a portal.

"Holy balls!"

 **0000**

 **Lucario groaned. "Of course UMBREON would go on a date with the Pokemon equivalent of Satan."**

 **0000**

Ursaring and Shuckle both roared as the bug type wrapped his limbs around Ursaring's neck. Ursaring stumbled about as Shuckle headbutted the bear over and over.

0000

Lucario snatched a Psyduck, dangling it by the tail. "Okay, got you. Now just to get you back to camp-"

"SPLIT!" Scrafty and Zorua sprinted passed., throwing her a panicked look. "CHEESE IT!"

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Lucario asked, arching a brow. She turned and gasped.

"AHHHHHHHH!" Slowking snarled, shooting forward. Lucario stumbled back, but Slowking bowled her over, sending her flying into the mud.

"Okay, Zorua." Scrafty gasped. "What's the next part of Shuckle's plan?"

Zorua laughed sheepishly. "Um…. this. Sorry, he really doesn't like you."

Scrafty raised an eyebrow. "What the hell are you-"

Zorua vanished.

"YOU BITCH!" Scrafty snarled as Slowking launched forwards. Scrafty slid down a hill on the right, watching Slowking slide past him.

"Holy shit…" Scrafty whispered, peering up.

He brushed himself off. "Well, time to hide for the rest of the challenge."

 **0000**

 **Lucario was clenching her fist, mud dripping off her fur. "Ohohoho, he's gonna die."**

 **0000**

Shuckle dragged Ursaring over to the cave, slamming his head repeatedly against the rock. Ursaring grunted and tried to reach for him, but Shuckle managed to shove an arm behind his back.

 **0000**

 **Shuckle chuckled. "Incineroar really knew his stuff. Shame he was voted off."**

 **0000**

Tepig marched over to the cage that Victini had set up at the center of camp. Victini raised an eyebrow as Tepig smirked at him. "Why are you looking at me like that? What, did you complete the challenge?"

Tepig pulled out a silver platter.

"Oh, Tepig you didn't!" Victini shouted.

Tepig took the top off, revealing a toasted Durant. "Took me all day to prepare, this did."

"Tepig, you weren't supposed to…. actually, that does look pretty good," Victini said, licking his lips.

"Try a bite, mate," Tepig said. "We can have a bloody barbeque tonight. Too bad I'm out of shrimp, though."

Victini sighed. "As delicious as this looks, you didn't compete the challenge the way you were supposed to. That being said, you did get here first. You get two points."

"Well, that's a number, isn't it?" Tepig said. "I'll go get the grill."

"We don't even have a grill!" Victini shouted after him.

"Aww I didn't even get here first?" Shuckle asked, dragging his wagon behind him. "Man, I hate my slow speed stat."

"Wow, Shuckle, not bad and-WHAT DID YOU DO TO THAT POOR BEAR?" Victini shrieked.

The Ursaring was lying back in the wagon, bruised and groaning.

Shuckle grinned, revealing a missing tooth. "He deserved it."

"Well….uh…you didn't get here before Tepig, but at least yours is ACTUALLY alive! I'll give you six points."

"Eh, fair enough," Shuckle said. "Besides, there's some serious shit going on back there. I think Umbreon is in the Distortion world. And Slowking's on a rampage."

"That's not good," Victini said. "Hey, want to go watch the footage in my cabin, with air conditioning and snacks?"

"Heck yeah!"

0000

Charizard groaned, his head in his hands. "This was a very stupid plan."

He had beat up a bunch of defenseless electric types, and they were all strewn across the forest floor. No Joltik had come for the easy electric power.

"Why does it even matter?" Charizard grumbled to himself. "There's no way I'm winning this thing. Everybody hates me too much….and I can't exactly blame them for it."

Then again, there _was_ someone he could blame. If he could pin the blame on. He could come out of this whole mess smelling like a rose if he played his cards right.

As if on cue, Slowking stumbled over, leaning on a tree. "Help….please….I can't go so long without Shellder…"

Charizard raised an eyebrow. "Slowking?"

The water type looked like he was barely keeping it together, as if he were going to fall over. "Need to find….Scrafty…"

Charizard's eyes widened. Slowking was vulnerable.

Slowking tried to grab Charizard for support, but the dragon socked him in the jaw.

The pain seemed to focus Slowking, and he blinked. "Why does everyone insist on hitting me in the same area?"

"I've been waiting for this for a long time," Charizard snarled, stomping forward.

"Please," Slowking said, trying to sound more confident then he felt. He couldn't use psychic powers, and his head was still pounding. "Beating a defenseless man when he is in a vulnerable position is hardly good form."

"Don't care," Charizard said, baring his teeth. "Every bruise I leave will serve as a reminder for that injustice you did to me. You deserve it!"

"Very well," Slowking said, remaining as steady as he could. "Come at me, then!"

"Oh, I plan to," Charizard said, flying forward and swinging dragon claws.

Slowking managed to sidestep Charizard's first swipe, but the dragon's tail caught him off guard and slammed into his stomach, sending him flying back. He collided with a tree, before hitting the ground in a roll.

Charizard shot a breath of flame, but Slowking blocked it with a wave of water. Tutting, he sent off a shot of water. Charizard ducked under and lunged for Slowking.

Slowking caught Charizard's arm an inch away from his fist. He missed his psychic powers. With a roar, he blasted Charizard back with water, before sending a follow up hydro pump to blast him through a thicket.

Slowking smirked. "Yatta."

Charizard let out a roar, igniting in flames. Slowking sighed, creating a whirlpool.

"I am going to make you wish you never evolved!" Charizard roared.

"I suppose it's once again time to clean up your mess," Slowking said, hitting himself in the cheeks to stay level headed.

Charizard and Slowking lunged for each other, water and fire meeting in a clash that shook the entire forest…

0000

"Ow! Stop biting me, dammit!" Scrafty spat, wrenching Shellder off his arm. "What the hell is your problem?"

"Give me back to Slowking!" Shellder shouted. "I need to bite his head to make him smarter!"

"After the challenge!" Scrafty said. "Then you can have the pink braniac and be out of my hair forever."

"You don't have hair!" Shellder said.

"It's an expression," Scrafty deadpanned. "I thought you were supposed to be smart."

"And I thought you were supposed to be crafty. Why are we hiding in a Joltik infested cave?"

"Joltik infested wha…." Scrafty froze. Thousands of the little things were surrounding them.

Scrafty sighed. "Another swing and a miss kind of day, huh?"

Scrafty shouted as the Joltik all lunged for him as one.

 **00000**

"So he just kept trying to attack you? Over and over?" Aipom asked.

"Yes," Gallade sighed. "Tepig is simultaneously one of the smartest AND dumbest people I know."

"Why do you hate him so much, anyway?" Aipom asked.

"To be honest?" Gallade was slowly leading Aipom through the forest, distracting her with his backstory. At this rate, he could lead her back to camp without having to lay a hand on her. "He reminds me of my sister. They both are attention seeking assholes."

"So what ended up happening?" Aipom asked. "Who ended up calming you down? And how did you lose your eye? You still keep avoiding that point!"

Gallade blushed. "That's a story for another time."

 **0000**

" **When my sister was a little kid, I'd volunteer to do a bedtime story club for all the kids in her preschool class," Gallade said. "I was pretty popular because my baritone voice was soothing and put kids to sleep. And yes. I was a Kirlia at the time. Laugh it up."**

 **0000**

Slowking pushed Charizard further and further back with water, before finally overwhelming him and forcing him to the ground. "You are a reckless fool, Charizard! You think the solution to every problem is more violence!"

"That's your fault!" Charizard growled, managing to rise to a knee. "You're the one that used your psychic powers-"

"My psychic powers merely removed the coat of paint hiding your instability," Slowking shouted. "I've seen what you were like as an officer. What you got away with! I bet you're going to try and get away with attacking Lycanroc by pinning the blame on me, aren't you?"

"I….you can't prove that!" Charizard shouted.

"I don't need too! I understand how you work, Charizard! You won't-ARRGH!" Slowking clutched his head a migraine shot through him. It was more intense then anything he had ever felt in his life.

For a moment, his face was wracked with pain…..but then it faded and turned into a lazy dumb grin.

"Slow….?" Slowking said, his eyes now unfocused. A little bit of drool fell from his lip.

"Slowking?" Charizard said, a little weirded out.

Slowking didn't respond.

Charizard walked forward, before shoving Slowking to the ground. The water type didn't even try to fight back.

Charizard morphed his hands into dragon claws, staring at the apathetic Pokemon under him. For a moment, he looked like he was going to strike, before the power in his claws faded.

Charizard sighed. "What am I even doing anymore?"

He trudged off, leaving Slowking flat on his back behind him.

 **0000**

 **Slowking stared off into space in the confessional.**

 **0000**

"Wow, so your entire backstory was fabricated by the producers of the show for entertainment value?" Aipom gaped. "That's so….scummy and amoral!"

"Yeah, well, they're reality tv show producers. What can you expect?" Gallade said. "For some reason, I just don't feel anything towards them. Not hate or anger. I know I should feel them…..but I guess I'm just too tired to feel anymore. Oy, Victini! I brought my target back to camp!"

"Oh, you son of a bitch! That's totally unfair!" Aipom shouted.

"Wow, uh, good job!" Victini shouted over by the loudspeaker. "You're only the third one here, but since she's unharmed you get a solid eight points. And to be honest, I think you have the challenge in the bag, because it's getting late."

"Nice," Gallade said, smirking.

 **0000**

" **Wow, a plan that I saw through managed to work out," Gallade said. "Shuckle seems to have the right idea. Screw being a silent warrior. I'm a strategist now. Booya."**

 **0000**

A few minutes after Victini called the challenge off, the remaining stragglers wandered their way over. Scrafty was wrapped in electrified webs, and swore as he hopped over to camp. Charizard and Zorua simply came empty handed, and Lucario (covered in mud) dragged a comatose Slowking.

"Wow. You guys SUCKED this challenge!" Victini snorted. "Like really bad. You guys lost to Tepig….and fucking Shuckle. You know what, you were SO bad, that everyone who actually managed to complete the challenge gets immunity. And yes, that includes Tepig, WHO ATE HIS CAPTURE!"

The other campers sighed, wearing various degrees of shame on their face.

"Pssh, Scrafty and I were busy," Zorua drawled. "I could care less who won."

"I just couldn't find my target," Charizard muttered. "There wasn't a damn Joltik on the island!"

Scrafty flicked a cigarette at him.

"OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!"

"Well, kind of anticlimactic," Victini said, a little put out. "But get to eliminating! Tepig, Shuckle, and Gallade are immune. Have fun voting for-"

A portal formed out of nowhere, before Giratina flew out, letting out a deadly cry. The campers stumbled back, their expressions ashen. Umbreon slid off Giratina's back, giving him a kiss on the cheek on the way down.

"I….you….whaaaaa?" Lucario mumbled.

Giratina laughed. "I see this camp has been wasted on you, Victini. It's about time a TRUE legend took over. It's about time I hosted my own show!"

Victini groaned. "Yeah not happening, you walking number six fetish. Get off my property!"

"Please," Giratina said in a silky voice. "My sweet sugar plum told me about your shady origins! You'll be stripped of hostly duties the second your name is heard."

"Wait…he calls you _sugar plum?_ " Shuckle asked, nudging Umbreon.

"Hariyama?" Victini called.

Hariyama walked over, wearing a frilly, pink apron. "Can Hariyama help you?"

"M-MASTER?" Giratina shrieked, stumbling back. "I didn't know YOU were here. I-I….would you like something t-to drink?"

"Sugar plum. SUGAR plum?" Shuckle said incredulously.

"Just leave," Hariyama said shortly.

"I'll leave," Giratina said, flying off through the portal as quickly as he could.

"Call me!" Umbreon shouted after him.

"He sure hightailed it out of there, huh," Lucario said, folding her arms.

"Oh yeah, total softie underneath," Umbreon said with a smirk.

" _Sugar plum?_ You let him call you that?" Shuckle asked, unbelieving.

"Oh, my fucking-YES, Shuckle!" Umbreon snapped. "He calls me sugar plum. He's the ruler of the distortion world, he can call me whatever the fuck he wants!"

"Slow?" Slowking yawned.

 **0000**

" **Okay, Zorua might be a total backstabbing bitch, but I really need HIM gone," Scrafty said. "Finally get rid of that thorn in my side."**

 **0000**

" **Slowking," Shuckle said, determined.**

 **0000**

" **Okay, I realize now that removing Slowking's intelligence was a bit of a dick move," Zorua admitted. "But uh…it's okay that I waited until AFTER the voting to give it back to him, right? It's the thought that counts, yeah?"**

 **0000**

 **Slowking was drooling all over the camera.**

 **0000**

"Interesting votes all around tonight," Victini said, looking over them. "Wow. Some dirty shit went down, huh."

Zorua bit her lip at this, and glanced over at Slowking. Shellder was back on his head, but he looked exhausted, and wouldn't meet anyone's eye. Was winning really worth putting him through that trauma?

Slowking leered at her. "I'm not gone yet, you know. Don't get comfortable. If I survive this, I'm coming for you."

Zorua narrowed her eyes. "Believe me. You won't."

"Neither will you," Slowking spat, looking disgusted. "I thought you were turning over a new leaf. First Munchlax, and now me. Believe it or not, I was beginning to think you had a moral compass."

Zorua seethed. "You don't know _anything…"_

"The funny thing is, I didn't even vote for you," Slowking said. "We'll see how this plays out."

"Yeah…." Zorua said. "I suppose we will."

"Shuckle, Gallade, Tepig, and Umbreon have immunity! Also, Umbreon, nice job scoring a hot date with the renegade Pokemon himself! You totally won today's challenge!"

Umbreon smirked. "Naturally."

Gallade shrugged. As long as he was safe.

"Okay…. the following Pokemon are safe. Lucario, Scrafty, and Zorua!"

Scrafty winked at Zorua as they got their respective treats. Lucario raised an eyebrow at them. What the hell was going on?

Charizard and Slowking wouldn't meet each other's eyes. Charizard's teeth were clenched, while Slowking merely closed his eyes.

"Interesting final two, eh?" Victini said. "Slowking, you've probably been on the chopping block most out of anyone else in the competition. First it was because you were a liability, and now It's because you're a threat. Charizard, on the other hand….wow. We ALL know why you're here."

"Just…shut up…" Charizard said.

"Touchy," Victini muttered. "The final treat goes to….."

Charizard bit down hard on his tongue. He hadn't even voted for Slowking! What if they all decided to gang up on him?

"I can tell you're afraid," Slowking said in a soft voice. "And you should be. Just not tonight."

"….Charizard. Slowking, I'm sorry, but you've been eliminated," Victini said.

"I had a feeling," Slowking admitted. "So be it. I'll be going, then."

He got up and began to walk before he hesitated.

"Before I go, I need to make something clear," Slowking said. "It is an apology. I have not conducted myself in a manner one should be proud of. I hope you all can accept them without any hard feelings."

Nobody answered.

Slowking sighed. "Today, I was made vulnerable by Pokemon I will not name. I was hurt badly. A line was crossed today. I understand this game gets heated, I myself find am very guilty of falling into that same trap but…I'd hope there was at the very least a common decency between all of us. What happened left a bad taste in my mouth, and I hope I do not see it again when I continue to watch the show."

"I have an unfortunate feeling that I will see it again, however," Slowking said. "And so, I say to the innocent; I am not a villain. I never was. But there are Pokemon here that fit that bill. Beware, the villains in question and the innocent alike."

He coughed, looking a little embarrassed. "That is all."

He walked to the dock, leaving eight silent remaining contestants behind him.

 **0000**

 **Shuckle groaned. "Ugh! I'm such an asshole. I'm sorry Slowking! It was nothing personal, okay? I just REALLY needed you gone. You were a massive threat, dude. No hard feelings? Please?"**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty rolled his eyes. "Pssh, cliché speech was cliché. I do whatever the hell I want."**

 **0000**

 **Zorua slumped back, looking relieved and disgusted with herself at the same time.**

 **0000**

"You know, Giratina was right about one thing," Victini admitted.

"Oh? And what part was this?" Hariyama asked.

"Once there's a winner, I can kiss my career goodbye," Victini said. "We're uh….really nearing the end, huh."

"Make the most then, yes?" Hariyama asked. "Nothing lasts forever."

"Fair sentiment, dude," Victini chuckled. "We'll go out with a bang. Want to waste the last of our budget on a bitching Total Pokkemon Island wrap party?"

Hariyama chuckled. "As long as Hariyama does not have to plan it."

"Pssh, who else would?"

"Phione?"

"…Dude, that's not funny."

0000

Zorua, Tepig, and Shuckle were relaxing alone on the cabin porch. Zorua was rocking back in a chair, while Shuckle demolished Tepig at chess.

"That was uh…. messed up of us, huh," Zorua said. "We're kind of terrible people."

"Yeah…." Shuckle admitted.

"Ah, speak for yourselves, mates," Tepig said. "My conscience is clear!"

"We literally destroyed a man's mind, and you're STILL somehow worse than us," Zorua said. "How do you even manage it?"

"My lovely personality."

Shuckle cleared his throat. "So what now? We go for Scrafty? Please tell me we can finally eliminate his baggy ass."

Zorua thought for a moment. "Yeah. We're going to have to. Even if we didn't, that scumbag would betray us first chance he got."

"He's dangerous," Shuckle said. "I've been trying to vote him for ages. He always slips through the cracks."

"Pssh, come on lads, we have three votes out of eight!" Tepig said. "All we need to do to win is not let him get immunity. Simple plan."

"It's never that easy," Zorua argued. "He'll be tough, make no mistake. But you know what? We're a match for him. Tepig, you get the shit beaten out of you literally every and you're still somehow able to pull off that roguish look. You won immunity the last two challenges, and you took down Carbink."

"Oh stop, you'll make me blush," Tepig said with a grin.

"Shuckle, you survived where your alliance couldn't, came up with brilliant strategies that won you immunity after immunity, and still stand in the top eight even with your lack of mobility."

"Hear hear!" Shuckle shouted.

"….Oh and I'm here too," Zorua said. "I'm just as competitive and underhanded as anyone else, and I've tricked virtually everyone in the cast. I've helped bring down two alliancces….even if…y'know, one of them was Shuckle's…."

"Hey!"

"But most of all? We took down friggin' Slowking. Shuckle was the brain, I was the execution, and er….Tepig….."

"Ate some Cuban delicacies," Tepig said.

"That. Fine. Also, gross you disgusting pig-oooooooh," Zorua said, slapping herself in the face in realization. "My point is, WE are the true antagonists of this game, not Scrafty. It's time for the Axis of Righteousness to reign bloody vengeance on Scrafty's soul!"

"That's…. our alliance name?" Shuckle asked. Axis of Righteousness?"

"Yeah, why not? I'll be Hitler, you can be Tojo, and Tepig can be Mussolini."

"Wait, I want to be Hitler!" Tepig whined. "Sieg Heil!"

"Tepig…. please don't do that," Shuckle said. "You just hailed the Nazis on national television."

 **0000**

" **Eh, if I was anybody in World War II, I'd be Winston Churchill," Shuckle said. "Ooh, or Stalin. Dammit, there are so many wonderful options to choose from!"**

 **0000**

" **My entire fucking metaphor was lost when Shuckle and Tepig started having arguments over which political leader they'd be in World War II," Zorua said. "Oh, and it did not stop there. Tepig got drunk and started ranting about the great Doduo war, and then Shuckle wrote a manifesto. A manifesto. This is my life now. I could have just been a manipulative bitch that everyone hated, but now I have these two psychos as friends." She sighed, before a small smile formed on her face. "I'm happier then I ever have been in my life. You're going down, Scrafty."**

 **0000**

 **Umbreon was on the phone. "What do you mean I never call!? YOU LIVE IN THE DISTORTION WORLD! THERE IS LITERALLY NO RECEPTION THERE YOU CTHULU RIPOFF!"**

 **0000**

That's it. That's the chapter. Wooooooo.

Hope you enjoyed! Slowking is finally gone, but you guys didn't seem to love him very much so…that's a good thing? Probably?

Leave a review, my dudes. They fuel my desire to get these out quicker!

Slowking: Every time someone reviews this story, an angel gets his wings. Yes, I know I'm a man of science, but this was scripted, and I'm getting paid a lot of money to say this. Sue me.


	31. Chapter 31: No Tag Backs

0000

Lucario swung a kick at Hariyama, but the beefy Pokemon deflected it easily before following up with a swift, light jab. Lucario slid back, ready to counterattack…

Before she collapsed, groaning.

"Does young Lucario need bucket?" Hariyama asked, giving her a concerned voice.

"Yes please," Lucario said weakly.

Hariyama tossed over one of Shuckle's spare buckets and Lucario curled up next to it. "Lucario has been fighting for past eight hours. Persistence is impressive but you are beginning to concern Hariyama. Do you have naught else to do?"

"Ugh, no," Lucario groaned. "Almost everybody else sucks. When Umbreon and Tepig are the nicest Pokemon on the island, life sucks."

"What about Shuckle?" Hariyama argued. "You both share mutual friend, yes?"

Lucario sighed. "I guess. But he's y'know… _quirky."_

"And Munchlax was not?" Hariyama scoffed. "No more excuses. Off with you! Go make friend! Not that Hariyama is supposed to pick favorite, but he does not want to see young Lucario voted off."

"Fine, _mom,"_ Lucario drawled, picking herself up. "But only because you have a good point."

 **0000**

" **Hariyama's a nice guy, once you get to know him," Lucario clarified. "Even if his cooking sucks."**

 **0000**

"I still don't see why the three of us can't just swarm and beat the shit out of him," Tepig said, folding his arms.

"Yeah, and that reason's why we don't keep you around for your brains, Tepig," Zorua said. "We'd just be playing into Scrafty's hands."

"He'll be paranoid, that's for sure," Shuckle said, looking like head was going to explode from all his intense thinking. "My guess is that'll he'll be desperate to win this next challenge now that he knows that you're targeting him, Zorua."

"So? Let him," Zorua said. "If he wins, we have Charizard to vote off as insurance. He can't keep winning challenges forever."

"I doubt I have to remind you, but you two aren't any more well liked then he is," Shuckle deadpanned. "If he turns the rest of the cast against you two, he'll destroy us pretty easily. Scrafty isn't someone you should ever be comfortable with facing. He's not like the others. I should know."

"So then, what's the plan, Berry Boy?" Tepig asked.

Shuckle took a deep breath. "I have a plan. It's risky and reckless, and Zorua, if we screw this up you could be the next one to go home. Before I say it, you two better be ready to face the consequences of failure."

"I'm in," Tepig said, without hesitation. "You're a smart bastard. I can trust you not to screw it up."

"Easy for you to say when it isn't your ass on the line," Zorua grumbled. "But fine. Though, I reserve the right to back out if this plan totally screws me over. I don't fancy the idea of being a martyr."

"Okay then," Shuckle said. "And pray this works…"

 **0000**

" **Do I like Zorua and Tepig? Sure," Shuckle said. "Do I trust them**? **Hell no. Zorua's responsible for destroying my alliance, and Tepig would trade my soul for a gallon of milk. Best case scenario? Scrafty drags those two with them. I know it's not exactly morally sound, but I want to win, dammit!"**

 **0000**

Charizard and Scrafty were leaning back in deck chairs, watching the sun go up. Scrafty was smoking, apparently lost in thought, while Charizard looked like he was making an eternal decision.

"Can I bum a cigarette?" Charizard asked in a low voice.

Scrafty glanced at him for a moment, before giving a half nod and passing over the box. Charizard lit the match with ease and the two sat smoking for a while.

"How are you feeling, man?" Scrafty asked.

"Like complete shit," Charizard admitted. "Everything I touch gets hurt."

"I know the feeling," Scrafty muttered. "I uh…I used to not be so great a person a while ago."

"Oh?" Charizard asked.

Scrafty glanced up at him. "You're not going to arrest me if I tell you, right?"

"You do have the right to remain silent," Charizard said, suddenly sounding very professional.

"Fine then," Scrafty said, looking affronted. "But uh…I know what it's like to hurt people. That feeling like you're stuck and can never improve? That's been with me ever since I've evolved."

"I just….I hate crime, Scrafty," Charizard said with a sad look. "I didn't grow up in a very good neighborhood and…I saw people getting hurt all the time. I vowed to change it but….Slowking was right about everything. My belief was always that the end justifies the means but…somehow I ended skewing my own moral code. Now I….I don't know what to do. I just….I just want the consequence to happen."

"Well Charizard," Scrafty said thoughtfully. "You can always try to redeem yourself. Take out the Pokemon that are really at fault in. Show that you're not the same Pokemon that hurt others by avenging the one who showed you what you really were."

"Slowking?" Charizard asked, mystified.

"Bingo," Scrafty said. "You know what happened to Slowking, and remember his final speech? I'd say it's time to avenge him by eliminating Zorua, the one who ripped his sanity away."

"That'll redeem me?" Charizard asked eagerly. "I can finally be unstuck?"

"Hell if I know, but at the very least it could show that you learned from your mistakes, and that you're thankful to Slowking for making you self-aware? He's the one who made it possible for you to change, so I'd say it's time you thanked him for it."

Charizard stood up. "Y-you're right. I will. What Zorua and Tepig did was inexcusable, and I'm going to make sure that for once, I do the right thing. Thank you Scrafty."

"I'm with you as well, dude," Scrafty said with a grin. "Zorua's been screwing with everyone since the beginning of this game. It's time to make her pay, once and for all."

"Good," Charizard said, giving a toothy grin. "I had a feeling her new goody two shoes bit was an act. Let's bring her down."

 **0000**

" **Too easy," Scrafty said. "Can't have Charizard too likable, or I don't have my insurance. Besides, when someone's faced universal hatred, they become desperate for a friend. I'm happy to oblige."**

 **0000**

Gallade and Umbreon were taking a nice walk through the forest, Umbreon texting her new flame while Gallade kept her from steering into trees.

"So, uh…how is the relationship working out," Gallade asked, a bit lamely.

"Since when did you make small talk?" Umbreon asked. "Who are you and what did you do with Gallade?"

"I don't like that Gallade, to be perfectly honest," Gallade admitted. "I wanted to try out a new one."

"Okay weirdo," Umbreon said with a shrug. "Anyway, it's fine, but Giratina keeps fucking up the environment to show his love with me. It's like the equivalent of having a dick measuring contest."

"Oh," Gallade said, shuddering as he imagined Groyvle's reaction to this little tidbit. "That's er…sweet."

"Oy!" Another voice rang out, and Tepig hopped in front of them, causing Umbreon to gasp out in surprise and drop her phone.

"Tepig," Gallade said, folding his arms.

"Gallade," Tepig said, giving him a wink. "I was wonder if you two blokes would like to help me off Scrafty after this challenge."

"Dude, this was a new phone," Umbreon moaned. "Not that I ever really like talking to anybody but I had this sweet edgy ringtone and-"

"Why should we?" Gallade asked suspiciously.

"He's a prick?" Tepig shrugged.

"So are you," Gallade snapped, narrowing his eye.

"Can you even tell with one eye?"

"Will _you_ be able to tell after I knock your head in?"

"Speaking of dick measuring contests," Umbreon muttered under her breath. "Look! You two don't have to like each other, but can we all just survive for one more challenge and just vote the asshole off?"

"Thing is, I'd rather have Scrafty in then this excuse for a Pokemon," Gallade growled.

"Look mate, if you want to French me, I might just let you," Tepig said, rolling his eyes. "You have a bit of charm, even if you do look like Captain Hook had wardrobe malfunction."

"Forget turning over a new leaf," Gallade snapped. "He's not worth it."

Umbreon wasn't even paying attention. "Ohohoho, I do love this ringtone though."

 **0000**

" **Okay, I know he's not THAT bad," Gallade admitted. "But he just knows how to push my buttons in the right way to make me lose composure. Honestly, I should vote him off for my own personal health."**

 **0000**

"You guys ready for another awesome challenge?" Victini asked.

"Infernape's not here man, you're not getting any enthusiasm," Shuckle deadpanned.

"He…has a point," Scrafty admitted.

"Fine, fair enough!" Victini said, waving his arms. "I swear to Arceus, you guys the worst top eight ever!"

"Love you too," Tepig crooned.

"Well, before we begin…a bit of backstory," Victini said, as Hariyama dragged a wheelbarrow over, cans overflowing from the top. "Back before I er…..got the show-"

"Illegally," Umbreon drawled. "Giratina told me everything."

"SHUT IT!" Victini snarled, radiating power. "Er….I had my own energy drink business."

"Victini's Victorious Beverage for Vagabonds," Hariyama said.

"Do you….do you even know what a vagabond is?" Lucario asked.

"No, I-I JUST RAN OUT OF V WORDS!" Victini snarled. "Anyway, it didn't work too well because I went overboard with the victory serum and basically everyone became hyperactive messes. We got shut down, and now I'm stuck with gallons of the stuff."

His eyes lit up. "Until TONIGHT!"

"Oh Arceus, you're making us drink it, aren't you?" Zorua asked, horrified.

"Yeeeeup!" Victini said. "We're going to play what I like to call: XTREME TAG! These energy drinks will be your fuel!"

"Shit…. these things sound awesome," Umbreon said, her eyes wide.

"Agreed," Tepig said. "How many do we get?"

"Easy tigers, one can each!" Victini said. "Oh, and the effects fade fast, so you'd better take it in doses."

"Victini, there is no way these things can be legal," Charizard protested.

"BITCH I DO WHAT I WANT!" Victini screamed. "Now take your energy drinks and I'll explain the rules."

Charizard raised his hands in the universal sign of surrender, before snatching the can and examining it with a bit lip. The others shrugged and followed suit, Umbreon licking her lips.

"That's really creepy, Umbreon, but anyway!" Victini said. "I'm sure everyone knows how tag works. The person who's 'it' has to touch make contact with the other players and blah blah. This, however, is extreme tag. No holds barred. You guys are animals with magical powers, not fifth graders, so anything goes!"

"You can't really win tag though, can you?" Zorua asked.

Victini blinked. "Huh?"

Zorua sighed. "Tag is an endless game. How can you pick a winner?"

Victini stared at her blankly for a second, before slapping himself in the face. "FUCK!"

Zorua rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that was what I was expecting."

"HARIYAMA, IDEA ME!"

"Er…you could simply go until they are knocked ou-"

"Ah! A brilliant idea I just came up with!" Victini said, snapping his fingers. "You'll keep going until you lose the will to live!"

"Er….will to live?" Lucario asked. "Don't you mean, will to keep going?"

"Yeah, if we're splitting hairs," Victini said, rolling his eyes. "You have the entire island as your playground. Go ham! Nowhere is off limits except my cabin."

Shuckle swore under his breath. "I was banking on that last bit."

"So, who is 'it', first?" Gallade asked, folding his arms.

"Oh yeah!" Victini said. "On a related note, one of our lovely reviewers with a good eye informed us that one of you is a cheater!"

Tepig grinned. "Oh come on, Zorua and I haven't even done anything yet!"

Zorua sighed, cracking her knuckles. "Give me a sec."

"Oh, come on love, you know I'm just josh-SQUEAAAL!"

"Anyway, no, it's not you, Tepig," Victini said. "It's our dear friend Charizard."

"Wha-ME?" Charizard asked, looking stunned.

"Yeah, you flew out of the quicksand when I specifically told you not to," Victini said. "Sweet little Infernape would still be here if you weren't scum."

"I-SCRAFTY TRIPPED HIM UP!" Charizard snarled.

Scrafty stretched an arm. "Yeah, but that was technically allowed, pal. No rule against it."

"F-fine," Charizard growled. "I probably deserve it. What's my punishment?"

"You…have to be 'it' first," Victini said. "By the way, the person who is 'it', by the end of the game, gets a penalty!"

Charizard shrugged. "Whatever, let's get this over with."

"You guys get a five-minute grace period," Victini said. "I'd start running!"

Nobody stayed for long, splitting up and darting in different directions.

 **0000**

" **Charizard's pretty scary in this challenge," Lucario admitted. "He can fly, and I'm pretty sure he can bench press a house."**

 **Lucario grinned, cracking her knuckles. "Then again, so can I."**

 **0000**

Shuckle dragged his wagon over behind some bushes. "Okay, Shuckle, you don't have speed or power, but you have a good defense and you have brains."

He went to work, camouflaging his wagon with various materials around the forest.

Zorua turned visible a few feet away from him, eyeing his progress carefully.

 **0000**

" **Shuckle's sharp," Zorua said. "And even though I'm working with him, I can't deny that he makes me uneasy. That Slowking plan worked without a hitch, and I'd be shocked if he didn't have some plan for taking out me as well. Maybe I can get Tepig to vote him off once we take care of Scrafty."**

 **0000**

Scrafty made his way carefully through a thicket, cursing as he tripped over a tree root. A second later, Gallade jumped down, holding his scythes defensively.

"Grace period is still on," Scrafty muttered. "And I'm not even it. You don't have anything to fear from me."

"Yet," Gallade said. "But I want you as far away as possible from me when the game starts."

"Fine," Scrafty said. "I'll leave. Uh….look, why don't we agree not to go after each other this challenge? As a show of good faith, I'll give you some advice."

Gallade raised an eyebrow. "Why would I need advice from you?"

"Because you're a freaking hermit, man," Scrafty said. "I've kept tabs on the other competitors. Have you?"

Gallade sighed, relaxing. "I suppose that's fair. Though I'm trying to get better with social interaction."

"Start with me then," Scrafty said. "We've always been acquaintances, right?"

"Fine then," Gallade said, shrugging. "What advice do you have for me."

"Zorua has a huge edge this challenge," Scrafty said. "She has those bullshit illusions, and they can break the entire game. Hell she could just hide the entire time and win immunity."

"Good point," Gallade said. "What do you suggest?"

"We work together," Scrafty said. "Take her out now, and then vote her off so she never gets another chance."

"I'll vote for Zorua today if you vote Tepig next chance after," Gallade suggested.

Scrafty grinned. Perfect. "Sure, man. Then we boot off Charizard and we're cozy in the final five with Lucario and Umbreon."

"Okay, I'll work with you," Gallade said. "Not like it will harm me in any way."

"Good!" Scrafty said. "We may need to deal with her pig as well, so be ready."

"Oh, don't worry," Gallade said with a crooked grin. "I'm looking forward to that meeting."

 **0000**

" **Gallade's one messed up guy," Scrafty said, before grinning. "I like that."**

 **0000**

"Hey, Lucario, aren't you going the wrong direction?" Umbreon asked, raising an eyebrow. She was passing the jackal at one of the beaches.

"Nah," Lucario said, jogging in place. "I've never gotten a chance to fight Charizard yet. Now's a good opportunity."

"Fine, your funeral," Umbreon drawled. "Just don't point out my location. I'd prefer to actually survive this challenge."

Lucario called out to her as she stalked off. "Thanks for the empathy!"

"You're welcome!"

"My aura tells me you're being sarcastic!"

"As are you, according to my bullshit meter!"

 **0000**

" **It's funny," Lucario said. "Umbreon may not like anybody, but I'm not sure if there is a single person in our cast that doesn't like her. I wonder how she's somehow so likable?"**

 **0000**

"Alright Charizard," Victini said, checking a timer. "You're good to go."

"About time," Charizard said, flapping his wings and jumping into the air. Flying above the treetops, he looked around for straggling campers that were close by. He missed Shuckle, who was camouflaged and low to the ground.

Shuckle breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe for the time being.

 **0000**

" **I had an unconventional strategy for this challenge," Shuckle said. "I may not be a runner, but that doesn't mean I can play my own twist."**

 **0000**

Zorua swore at the sight of Charizard overhead, and she quickly hid behind a tree. "Just my luck that this place just _happens_ to be the first way he checks."

Taking deep breaths, Zorua thought through her options. She had her illusionary abilities, so perhaps she could trip up some of the other players who were trying to escape Charizard, preferably Scrafty. She figured she should play like she did in the racing challenge: cloak and dagger style. It didn't matter who her opponent was. A quick shot from behind would secure her victory.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a rock thrown overhead. Zorua watched in agony as it flew between the trees and hit Charizard in the back of the head.

Charizard turned around.

 _NO!_ Zorua hissed to herself, stiffening as Charizard casted a suspicious look. He dropped to the ground, meticulously examining the forest floor around him.

Zorua felt her forehead bead with sweat. She couldn't move a muscle or Charizard would catch on. Inwardly, she prayed to every legendary she could count that Charizard would just lay off her.

Slowly, Charizard's suspicion seemed to de down. "Must've imagined it."

He was about to take off when Gallade dove out of nowhere, kicking him in the head.

Charizard slapped against a tree, growling in pain as Gallade launched a psycho cut. Charizard recovered, batting the move aside with his tail. "OW! You'll pay for that!"

Gallade backed up, baiting him forward. Charizard lunged, but Gallade dodged to the side, sprinting straight for the tree Zorua was hiding behind.

Zorua gaped. "Oh that SON OF A-"

Charizard let out a fire blast that spun in the air as it shot towards Gallade. The warrior hit the ground, sliding to avoid the column of fire. Zorua was forced to roll out of the way when the fire blast exploded into the tree she was hiding behind.

Charizard's eyes widened at the sight of the fox, before glancing between her and Gallade. Like any good predator, he launched toward the weaker target.

Zorua swore, ducking under Charizard's punch, before leaping back to avoid a swing of his tail. She landed in a backwards handspring, but in the next instant Scrafty had slammed into her from behind, holding her in a full nelson.

"You're not going anywhere," Scrafty hissed, holding her in place. "She's all yours, Charizard!"

Charizard's eyes gleamed, and out of pure desperation Zorua slammed her head back into Scrafty's face, forcing his grip to loosen. She tripped him while he was off balance and turned invisible.

"No!" Charizard shouted, but Gallade smirked. He lunged forward, striking an invisible force that was revealed to be Zorua as she gasped out loud. Zorua fell to the ground as Charizard stomped forward...

"Zorua! Cover your eyes!" came a voice. More out of shock then obedience, Zorua rolled to her side and blocked out her pupils.

A bright flash lit the forest, causing Gallade, Scrafty, and Charizard to go blind. As they shouted in pain and covered their eyes, Shuckle dragged his wagon over to Zorua. "Quick! Come one!"

"Wait….you know flash?" Zorua muttered.

Shuckle blushed. "Yeah…one of my cousins was an exotic dancer and I picked up a few things."

"…. wait what?"

0000

Charizard aimed a few strikes at Gallade, who dodged with ease. Scrafty attacked the dragon from behind, striking him in the back of the head and causing him to stumble off balance.

"Just chase those two down and knock them out!" Scrafty said. "Victini never said that we couldn't fight each other!"

"Fine, I'll track them down," Gallade said, changing directions and sprinting after the retreating duo. Scrafty grinned, before Charizard punched him hard in the chest, causing him to keel over.

"You're it," Charizard said, looking down at Scrafty's writhing form.

 **0000**

" **Holy Dark Amphithere, what's is IN his arms?" Scrafty asked, rubbing his bruised stomach. "Rocks?"**

 **0000**

"WHY WON'T ANYONE FIGHT ME!" Lucario shouted. "I'm BORED OVER HERE!"

She hadn't moved from her spot on the beach. "This challenge blows."

0000

Gallade sprinted through the forest, following the tracks left by Shuckle's wagon. While he had given up his whole warrior persona, he wasn't going to let the skills he'd acquired during that phase go to waste.

Presently, a bucket rolled down a short hill over to the left of the path Gallade was following. Skidding, he glanced at it for a moment, before his eye widened.

"Shuckle," he whispered under his breath. Apparently, the little guy had split up with Zorua. Hesitating for a moment, he decided to follow the bucket. After all, it was far more likely that the tracks were misleading him then a random bucket.

He changed paths, grumbling to himself. "I swear to Arceus if I get fucked over I'm kicking Tepig's ass."

Meanwhile, Shuckle and Zorua were crouching behind some bushes. Shuckle was holding something.

Zorua gave him a curious look. "So, what's up with your weird ass bucket fetish? Why the hell do every single one of your plans somehow involve them?"

Shuckle scoffed. "Zorua, buckets are an invaluable tool for my strategies. In fact, this entire plan _hinges_ on how I use these buckets. Hinges!"

"But in the end…..buckets…."

Gallade arrived at a clearing, looking on in horror at Shuckle's wagon. Shuckle and Zorua were nowhere to be seen, but dozens of buckets lined the wagon, each filled to the brim with explosives.

"... are only as good as what's inside of them," Shuckle finished, pressing the button of the detonator in his hand.

The entire forest shook at the explosion that followed.

 **0000**

" **Why do I ALWAYS miss all the cool stuff?" Lucario asked, throwing her hands up in the air.**

 **0000**

"Gallade has been eliminated, after Shuckle blew him sky high! Wasn't expecting that!" Victini announced via megaphone.

"Crikey," Tepig muttered from his perch on a tree, surveying the wreckage. "Little shit sure knows how to blow stuff up. Think I'll stay away from him."

Hopping from tree to tree, he eyed Scrafty, who had been drawn by the explosion. The hoodlum was still cursing and rubbing his stomach.

"Well, I'm it, so there's really nothing left to lose I guess," Scrafty admitted, popping open his energy drink. With a deep breath, he took a swig.

"Oh holy SHIT THAT STUFF'S STRONG!" Scrafty managed to gasp out. "Red Bull, you weak ass piece of shit."

Tepig watched him with an eyebrow raised as the hoodlum sprinted off at speeds that would make Ninjask jealous.

Tepig looked at his own drink. "Powerful stuff. Although…."

 **0000**

" **Good things come to those who wait, lad," Tepig said with a wink. "I may have an idea."**

 **0000**

"Holy shit, Shuckle," Zorua said in a hushed voice. "You're insane."

"Only a little!" Shuckle protested. "But hey, at least one of the biggest threats on the island is eliminated. We only have six more guys to worry about now."

"Fair enough, can't fault the method if it gives good results," Zorua admitted.

"Well, to be fair, I also may have sort of busted my wagon," Shuckle said, wincing. "Meaning getting around won't be so easy for me."

"Okay? How is that my problem?" Zorua asked.

Shuckle gave her a sheepish grin.

Zorua narrowed her eyes. "No way, no how."

"Please?"

"No! Never in a million years! The sun could freeze over, and I still would not-"

0000

Zorua sprinted through the forest, giving Shuckle a piggyback ride. "HOW THE HELL DID YOU CONVINCE ME TO DO THAT!?"

Shuckle chuckled. "I'm very persuasive?"

Zorua rolled her eyes, deliberately ramming Shuckle's head into a tree.

"OW!"

0000

Umbreon was leaning back on a deck chair, sipping a martini and chuckling at her own brilliance. Victini had never _said_ anything about out of bounds territories, so she had stowed away on a cruise that was passing by.

She wondered vaguely about her chances at winning. She still was honestly shocked she was still in the game, but at this point she may as well win, right?

Her thoughts were interrupted by Charizard landing on the boat out of breath.

Umbreon pushed up her glasses. "Ugh, you found me."

"I'm not it anymore," Charizard said, before throwing a nervous glance behind him. "Scrafty is, and I'd get out of here soon if I were you."

"Why would you care?" Umbreon asked. "I'm pretty sure we've both made it clear that we hate each other."

"Look, just…..fine whatever!" Charizard snarled. "Go have fun! I'm sorry for trying to do the right thing for once!"

He flew off. Umbreon groaned and stretched, before padding over to the side of the boat.

Scrafty was sprinting toward her, on _top_ of the water.

"Holy shit," Umbreon said, gulping.

Scrafty jumped in the air, throwing a punch that knocked Umbreon back into a table. "You're it."

Umbreon rolled to her feet, downing her own drink. "Game on, asshole!"

Umbreon lunged, tackling Scrafty overboard. Scrafty kicked her off in midair and they both hit the water in full sprint, heading back to the island…

0000

Lucario sat on the beach, thoroughly bored. "Literally NOBODY has come here. What's the point of having a challenge if nobody actually bothers to-eh?"

She blinked at the sight of two forms sprinting towards her. A grin played on her face, and she got into a fighting stance.

Umbreon dove for Scrafty, tackling him. "You're it!"

Scrafty swore and tripped, splashing into the water. Umbreon cackled to herself, landing on the beach….

Right into Lucario's fist.

The impact sent Umbreon skipping over the water, before she collided with the boat and splashed into the water.

Lucario winced. "Ooh, might've gone a little bit overboard."

"UMBREON IS THE SECOND TO BE ELIMINATED! SIX POKEMON REMAIN!"

"Okay, Scrafty, I know you're It," Lucario said, folding her arms. "Come and get me!"

 **0000**

 **Scrafty snorted. "Like I was dumb enough to fight Lucario. Woman can bench press a skyscraper."**

 **0000**

Scrafty burst out of the ocean, shaking water droplets out of his pants. He rolled to his feet, but Lucario was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh," Scrafty muttered. "Must've drifted off." He started to move, before a pounding headache struck him hard.

"Shit, this juice wears fast," Scrafty mumbled, pulling his half filled can out. He took another swig, giving him another boost of energy….

Before a shot struck the can out of his hand. Scrafty watched it fly through the air and splash into the water behind him.

"Brilliant shot if I do say so myself," Tepig said from his perch, reloading his sniper rifle. He fired again, but Scrafty managed to dive to avoid the shot, sand flying in the air behind him.

"You're gonna pay for that pork chop!" Scrafty snarled, running forward at blinding speeds. Tepig swore and turned, jumping from tree to tree to avoid the hyper hoodlum.

 **0000**

 **Tepig smirked. "Victini never told me that I** _ **couldn't**_ **use a sniper rifle. I've learned it's best not to ask questions."**

 **0000**

"So what's the plan for this one, Shuckle?" Zorua asked, grunting and rebalancing herself to be more comfortable with Shuckle on her back.

"Why do I always have to come up with the plan!?" Shuckle snapped. "I do everything around here!"

"You do every-DUDE! I AM LITERALLY _CARRYING_ YOU RIGHT NOW YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

Shuckle winced. "Right, sorry."

"Look…it's fine. Just, I could use some sort of purpose here. What is this, Dagobah?"

"Wait, you've seen Star Wars?" Shuckle asked.

Zorua blushed. "I…. Ampharos made me sit through it with his dumb boys alliance."

"Oh my god, you're a massive Star Wars nerd," Shuckle whispered.

"I….shut up!" Zorua hissed.

"This is amazing! Man when Munchlax finds out, he'll forget ALL about Plusle-"

Zorua sighed. "That's it."

With a grunt, she flipped Shuckle over her head, slamming him on the ground. "Plan. Now."

"OW! Alright, alright!" Shuckle said, raising his arms in surrender. "Force is strong with this one, am I right?"

Zorua raised a fist. "One more reference, I swear, and I'll make YOU become one with the force!"

"Okay, fine don't hit me," Shuckle said. "Look, neither of us are exactly the strongest around here. Our best bet is to use your illusions to trap our enemies and my defenses as insurance."

Zorua managed a playful grin. "And what are the chances of us pulling this off? 3,720 to 1?"

Shuckle winked. "Never tell me the odds."

0000

Charizard circled above the trees, his eyes set on leaves rustling a few clicks west. He supposed he could dive down and knock out whoever that competitor was… but something was nagging him.

"I'd be judged," he muttered under his breath. "I'm judged for everything I do. I won't give them the satisfaction."

He started to fly off, before a flash cannon missed him by a couple inches. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Lucario below him.

"What, are you IT or something?" Charizard asked.

"Uh no, but I NEED to kick something's ass!" Lucario shouted. "I'm done being blue balled! Fight me!"

"Uh, okay?" Charizard asked, looking alarmed.

 **0000**

 **Charizard looked thoughtful. "Y'know, at this point I wouldn't be surprised if Lucario had a…well, you know."**

 **0000**

"I hear them," Zorua muttered, behind a tree. "Can't really make out who it is though."

Shuckle closed his eyes and concentrated. "It's not Scrafty. He has baggy pants, so he'd likely make a lot of noise. Er…unless he took them off."

Shuckle's prediction was correct. Tepig burst out of the trees, grinning like a maniac.

"G'day mates. How goes?" he asked with a wave.

"Oh, it's you," Zorua muttered.

"I brought you blokes a present," Tepig said, glancing behind him. Soon, the sound of leather was heard.

"Scrafty?" Shuckle asked, his eyes wide.

"Bingo," Tepig said with a wink. "And he's hyper so you'll want to proceed with-"

Scrafty burst out of the trees, throwing a punch that Tepig rolled to avoid. He switched targets, aiming for Zorua, but she managed to turn invisible before he could get close.

"Yahhh!" Shuckle shouted, jumping and attacking Scrafty from behind. Scrafty struggled, but Shuckle managed to wrap his limbs around Scrafty's arms and lengths.

"Go for the immunity, Zorua!" Shuckle shouted. "You need it more then me! Scrafty and I are going down together!"

"What is your problem?" Scrafty hissed, trying to break free once more. Shuckle used string shot to encompass themselves into a cocoon. Soon, only faint murmuring could be heard.

"In a bold mood by Shuckle, he has knocked out both Scrafty and himself, leaving only four remaining competitors."

"Bitchin," Tepig said. "Now it's just you and me against the two….fully evolved…Pokemon…"

"Fuck," Tepig and Zorua said at the same time.

 **0000**

" **Okay, not exactly my best plan," Shuckle said, slapping himself. "I just REALLY hate Scrafty. Emotions blind the shit out of you sometimes."**

 **0000**

Charizard shot jets of fire that Lucario rolled to avoid, before swinging his tail. Lucario was struck in the stomach, where she flew _through_ a tree and hit the dirt.

Charizard dove down, shooting a pillar of fire. Lucario gulped and jumped up and over it.

"Dude, forest fire!" Lucario snapped.

"Right, sorry!" Charizard said, slapping himself in the face. "Dammit….I keep forgetting…Grovyle would flay me alive."

"Look, we can fight somewhere else," Lucario said. "Maybe a mountain or something where we don't have to hold back."

"I uh….wow….sure," Charizard said. "That's nice of you."

Tepig lunged forward. "SNEAK ATTACK, BITCH!"

Charizard slapped him aside with his tail, and Tepig struck a tree and fell unconscious. "Uh…do you want a ride?"

 **0000**

 **Zorua groaned. "Idiot."**

 **0000**

"Tepig's been eliminated!" came Victini's voice.

"Not really a sneak attack if you SCREAM it," Charizard mumbled under his breath. "Ready to go?"

Lucario raised a paw to stop him. "Wait, we still need to handle Zorua."

"Huh?"

Lucario closed her eyes, concentrating, before spinning and shooting an aura sphere that curved, striking an invisible force that turned out to be Zorua. The poor fox slapped against a tree and hit the ground hard.

"Aaaah, bitch," Zorua mumbled, before her head lolled to the side.

"Zorua's out, meaning we're at the final two!"

"Nice one," Charizard said. "How did you know when to strike?"

"I didn't," Lucario said with a cool smirk. "Aura sphere never misses."

 **0000**

" **Have to admit, she's pretty impressive," Charizard said with a grudging nod. "I could easily see her in a fighting tournament."**

 **0000**

Charizard landed at the summit of a mountain. Lucario leaped off his back, getting into a fighting stance.

"Well, thanks for the ride," Lucario said. "Soooo, should we start on three, or-"

Charizard interrupted her by punching her in the face. Lucario slid back, growling. With a grunt, she threw an aura sphere that Charizard managed to deflect.

They lunged at each other with battle cries, meeting in a vicious clash that was powerful enough to rock the mountain under them.

 **0000**

" **FINALLY!" Lucario said. "That fight was** _ **so**_ **worth the wait."**

 **0000**

 **Tepig winced as he picked out pine needles from his skin. "I hate trees. Once I tried to climb one and a pinecone went up my-"**

 **0000**

"Are they still fighting?" Umbreon said, lying on her back. The eliminated campers and Victini were watching the match on the big screen.

"What do _you_ think?" Zorua snapped. "Remember how long that Hakamo-o battle was? This thing hasn't even hit its stride."

"It's like….one AM," Victini said with a note of awe. "I've never had a challenge go on so long that the elimination ceremony goes on in broad daylight. Should I pause it and give them both immunity?"

"No!" Everyone else shouted.

"Sheesh, fine," Victini said, raising his arms in surrender. "Ooh wait, Charizard slipped up. I think it's over, guys!"

 **0000**

" **Victini's weird," Gallade muttered. "Sometimes he'll lord his legendary status over us, and others he'll treat us like a group of friends. He's always been childish, but now it's in….a good way?"**

 **He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Victini was the resident kid brother of the legendary Pokemon, wasn't he?"**

 **0000**

Charizard slid back, before managing to catch himself with his wings. He was breathing heavily, but then again, so was Lucario.

The blue fighting type grinned, as if she could go on for hours. Charizard swore under his breath as he realized that was probably the case. He knew his way around a fight, obviously, but this was Lucario's passion. He couldn't be as blunt and aggressive as he was as a cop. Lucario had the skill and stamina to surpass him, as well as enough brute force to hold her own.

Still, there was always one surefire way he could win. He clutched the mega stone in his hand, debating in his mind whether to use it or not.

For a moment he glowed with power. Lucario's eyebrows rose and she fell back a bit, wary that Charizard's mega evolution would be nigh impossible to beat.

But then the power faded, and Charizard shot a blast of fire. Lucario grinned as she easily rolled to avoid it. His hesitance would be his downfall.

Lucario was watching him, Charizard noted. Her eyes were that of a predator's, looking for a moment of weakness that would grant her a perfect opportunity to finish him off.

Charizard would give her just that.

Charizard let out a yelp of pain as he pretended to step on a pebble. In the next instant, Lucario was making a beeline for him, aura outlining her fists.

Charizard hid a smile as he hunched over. Lucario's punch was met with air as Charizard caught her arm. Lucario swore. He had baited her.

"It's over," Charizard said, taking to the air with her in his clutches. Lucario tried to aim a few clumsy kicks, but she was a sitting duck in his grip.

Charizard looped in the air a few times, gaining momentum, before diving into the mountain. The force of the seismic toss shattered boulders, and Lucario was unconscious the minute her head hid the rock.

Charizard pulled out of his dive gracefully, before stretching. "Good fight."

"CHARIZARD IS THE WINNER, MEANING HE GETS IMMUNITY!" Victini shouted into the loudspeaker. He was met with boos from the rest of the cast.

An anger welled in Charizard's throat. No matter what he did, he'd always be hated, right?

"Hey."

Charizard whirled around. Lucario was rubbing her head with one hand, the other raised to shake Charizard's hand. "Good match. You beat me thoroughly."

"Oh…. I uh…. thanks," Charizard said gruffly, shaking her hand. "You were my toughest fight in years."

"Hurry down to cast your votes, campers!" Victini shouted. "You two took a lot longer than I had planned, so we don't have a ton of time!"

Charizard took a deep breath. At the very least, he was safe tonight.

 **0000**

" **Oh man," Shuckle said. "I hope we got enough votes. I'm assuming Gallade's voting with Scrafty, but if he got through to Lucario and Umbreon…."**

 **0000**

" **I vote Zorua," Scrafty said.**

 **0000**

" **Scrafty," Zorua spat.**

 **0000**

"Wow," Victini said, looking over the votes. "Holy shit, this will be dramatic."

"Oy! Get on with it!" Tepig snapped. His posture was relaxed, but there was a telltale bead of sweat on his face.

Shuckle, on the other hand, made no effort to hide his anxiety. He was biting his lip, a nervous habit he had thought he dropped during middle school.

Umbreon was texting on her phone, looking by far the most relaxed out of any of the Pokemon there. Even moreso then Charizard, who looked relieved beyond measure.

Scrafty was going through cigarettes like Donphan went through dress rehearsals. His face was a mask of calm, a complete parallel to Zorua, who was pale.

Gallade, as if sensing Scrafty's discomfort, patted him on the shoulder. Scrafty winked in response, playing a smooth grin.

"Alright already, but tensions be high!" Victini said. "Charizard gets to skate by another round because he won immunity. Also safe are Umbreon, Gallade, and Shuckle."

Gallade was the only one that bothered to get his treat. Umbreon couldn't be bothered to care and barely even acknowledged she was safe, and Shuckle was glancing between Zorua and Tepig with fear. If they weren't safe…they may not get another chance to take out Scrafty.

"Lucario and…..Tepig," Victini said. "Neither of you two got votes, meaning…"

He grinned at Zorua and Scrafty. "Ohoho boy this is interesting."

"Get on with it, Victini!" Zorua growled. "Announce who got home and be done with it! If I'm the one leaving I don't want to drag it out!"

"That's the thing though," Victini said with a shrug. "We have no choice to drag it out. Because, for the first time in Total Pokkemon island, we got ourselves a tie!"

"What?" Scrafty and Zorua hissed at the same time.

"Yeah, we got four votes for Zorua and four for Scrafty," Victini said. "Meaning in order to decide who goes home, we're going to have a tiebreaker."

"What kind of tiebreaker?" Scrafty asked, folding his arms.

"Well, in spirit of a very recent boxing match, we thought that setting up a boxing ring would be thematically appropriate," Victini said, snapping a finger.

A boxing mat slammed down into the ground a few feet away from the campers, causing them to jump. Above them, Hariyama gave a thumbs up from his helicopter.

"We'll get some gloves and go at it!" Victini said, rubbing his hands together. "What a satisfying way to end an episode!"

 **0000**

" **Boxing? That's how I have to leave?" Zorua asked. "I swear to Arceus, if I'm eliminated because I lost a** _ **boxing**_ **match…."**

 **0000**

" **Whatever," Scrafty said with a shrug. "I suppose this'll be a satisfying way to finally silence the stupid fox for good."**

 **0000**

Zorua and Scrafty faced each other on opposite sides of the ring. Victini and Hariyama sat in chairs, going through the Tale of The Tape as both fighters downed some water.

"So, any advice?" Zorua asked Shuckle, who was hanging off the ropes.

"Boxing never was really my thing," Shuckle admitted. "Still, from what I noticed, the stronger fighter doesn't always win. Remember how Charizard beat Lucario? Play it smart and safe. Scrafty may know his way around a fight, but he's no professional boxer either."

"Fair I guess," Zorua said. "Wish me luck?"

"Dude, you're going against Scrafty," Shuckle grumbled. "He's not just lucky, he CONSUMES all of the luck in the area because he gets to be the MAIN ANTAGONIST!"

"Zorua's not much of a fighter," Gallade said, nudging Scrafty. "Won't be much of a challenge."

"Yeah," Scrafty said, before whispering under his breath: "But as insurance…"

"What was that?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Hey, what are you two doing?" Victini snapped. "You guys can't start OUT in the ring. You need to do a dramatic entrance!"

"Victini, why?" Umbreon asked.

"Nah, gotta agree with him, mate," Tepig said. "Can't have boxing without the dramatic entrance."

"Fine," Zorua said. "I just want to kick Scrafty's teeth in already."

 **0000**

" **This was really dragged out," Gallade said. "Y'know, for a tiebreaker."**

 **0000**

" **Everyone's a critic," Victini grumbled, folding his arms.**

 **0000**

Victini floated high in the air, holding a microphone. "EVERYONE READY TO RUMBLE?"

The crowd roared, Pokemon throwing shirts and hats in the air.

"HOW DID HE EVEN GET THESE GUYS OVER HERE?!" Lucario shouted over the raucous cries.

"He didn't," Umbreon said, her voice somehow carrying despite her lack of change in tone. "These are the same people who got paid to come for the contest."

"In the red corner! The crafty jerk! The hoodlum without heart! The mohawk rocking, pants wearing, fighting type himself….Scrafty!"

Scrafty waltzed over, giving the finger to all those cheering at him. He stuck a cigarette in his mouth when he stepped over the ropes and waited for his opponent.

"And the blue corner! The invisible fiend! The ice queen with a heart of gold! The master of disguise, Zorua!"

Zorua stomped over, mumbling about how she hated attention and wanted this over with. The two campers eyed each other with mutual dislike as Hariyama walked in between them, wearing a referee's uniform.

"Normally Hariyama would ask you for nice, clean match, but Hariyama would actually rather see how this plays out."

"So no rules?" Scrafty said, his eyes gleaming.

"Hariyama never said that," the sumo wrestler said. "No moves. Abilities are fine but nothing that make you hit harder. Clear?"

"Crystal," Scrafty muttered.

"I'm ready," Zorua muttered.

"Then we'll begin!" Victini said. "Count is yours, Hariyama."

THREE! TWO! ONE! FIGHT!" Hariyama said, before stepping back.

Zorua immediately brought up her guard and stepped back, challenging Scrafty to approach. They began to circle around each other as the crowd whispered excitedly.

"This is a one round fight, by the way!" Victini said. "Ends by either knockout or if you're one the ground for more than ten seconds."

"Wait, one round- oop!" Zorua stumbled back, cursing Scrafty for catching her off guard. She backpedaled, forcing Scrafty out of his comfort zone.

Scrafty threw a jab that Zorua ducked under. Getting in low, she managed to throw in a few jabs to Scrafty's stomach before he followed suit with a strike that was powerful enough to send her spinning.

"Fight back, Zorua! Don't hand him victory!" Lucario snapped.

"Finish it quickly, Scrafty," Charizard growled.

Scrafty grinned knocking back Zorua, who could barely block. He threw another punch that went through her guard, and she slammed into the ropes.

Zorua took a deep breath as she dodged several of Scrafty's strikes. He was trying to overwhelm her early on, but…if she was smart.

She threw a jab at Scrafty's stomach, this one finally hard enough to send him stumbling backwards. Zorua winked and turned invisible, to the audience's shock.

"Hey, that's not allowed!" Victini shouted.

"No rule against it, technically," Hariyama said mildly.

"Wait, you're allowing THIS?" Scrafty asked, before taking a punch to the face. He stumbled back, trying to guard, but winced as attack after attack struck him.

"Woohoo! That's my Sheila!" Tepig whooped.

"Keep it up," Shuckle muttered under his breath.

Scrafty groaned as he took another punch, this time collapsing. As he groaned, Hariyama began to count.

At three, Scrafty managed to rise, and he slapped himself in the face to regain focus. He closed his eyes, feeling the weight of the ground under him...where it shifted…

Before spinning and throwing a punch that shattered Zorua's nose.

The fox let out a cry as she became visible, before being met with several consecutive punches that nearly knocked her down. She managed to dodge an uppercut, falling back again while trying to ignore the blood dripping down from her ruined nose. Somehow, she could feel her strength being drained away…

"The tides of this battle keep changing!" Victini shouted. "Will Zorua be able to recover?"

Zorua growled, lunging forward, but this time she was too sloppy. Scrafty landed a blow under her guard, before throwing another punch to knock her to the ground. He hit her again just as she was about to rise, before throwing several kicks at her stomach.

Hariyama didn't blow the whistle, much to the horror of Tepig and Shuckle. Zorua kept trying to get up, but Scrafty continued to whale on her. Finally, Zorua spat in Scrafty's face. The hoodlum swore and stopped punching to wipe off his eye, giving Zorua the chance she needed to rise…

Only to be met with another punch that blew her into the ropes again.

"Time out!" Shuckle shouted as he caught her.

Victini snorted. "It's one round! You can't just-"

Hariyama blew his whistle.

Victini gaped. "What the hell man? Why?"

Hariyama folded his arms. "Because I like Zorua better."

While Scrafty looked completely refreshed and relaxed, Zorua looked like a mess. Her face and body were covered in bruises, and her nose looked….well, not like a nose.

Shuckle did his best to wipe the blood off her face. "Uh…are you okay?"

"No," Zorua moaned, sounding exhausted. "I feel like I was raped by a fucking sledgehammer. Ever get that feeling?"

"Tepig!" Shuckle shouted. "We could use your expertise!"

"FUCK YOU, LAD!"

"You're an ass," Zorua said with a weak chuckle. She downed the water bottle Shuckle handed her in two seconds, before rising unsteadily.

"Whoa, are you sure you don't want to…" Shuckle started, but Zorua brushed him off.

"I'm not giving up," she snapped. "I'm eliminating Scrafty even if it kills me."

"Um…well, please don't take that phrase literally," Shuckle said with a nervous giggle, but Zorua was already stepping back into the ring.

Hariyama blew the whistle, and Zorua charged forward. Scrafty, used to Zorua playing defensively, was caught off guard, and Zorua managed to punch him hard in the face. Scrafty reeled, spitting out blood, before swinging a punch of his own that Zorua barely managed to dodge.

"I may hate her guts, but that girl has persistence," Umbreon said grudgingly.

"Her body will wear out before her mind," Gallade muttered. "The match is already over."

Zorua bobbed and weaved through Scrafty's slower punches, throwing quick jabs that were far more accurate. Scrafty winced in pain before gnashing his teeth.

"Wouldn't be so sure, mate," Tepig said, elbowing Gallade, who looked like he wanted to throttle him.

"Obnoxious as he is, Tepig has a point," Lucario said. "Zorua knows Scrafty's moves now. She can keep up with him because she had VIP access to his fighting style."

"Yeah, but Zorua's in a bad shape," Charizard said. "You really think she can keep taking hits?"

With only adrenaline as her armor, Zorua blocked and dodged, doing her best to wear Scrafty down. Still, nothing she was doing was permanent. If she wanted to win, she's need a fatal blow.

Zorua baited Scrafty, forcing him to lift his guard. Zorua switched tactics, jumping on top of the hoodlum and, scissoring her legs around his neck, found herself in point blank range. With a snarl she socked Scrafty hard as he tried hard to break free.

"Ooh, this could be it!" Victini said, as Scrafty's head jerked back from the repeated blows. "Is Scrafty's game finally over?"

With a roar, Scrafty found his second wind and headbutted her in the face. She tumbled off just in time for her stomach to make contact with Scrafty's fist. Zorua went flying, hitting the ground in a roll right next to the ropes.

Zorua tried to rise, but Scrafty grabbed her by the tail. He threw her around to gain momentum, before holding his fist above his face. He grinned as Zorua smashed into it headfirst. Scrafty threw repeated blows at Zorua's limp form. Finally he dropped her into a vicious roundhouse kick that once again sent her flying through the ring.

Hariyama began to count, but Zorua rose to her feet before he even got to three.

"Uh, Zorua?" Shuckle asked. "It's okay! You don't have to-"

"I'm not losing…" Zorua mumbled, slogging forward. She threw a punch, but Scrafty's counter was enough to knock her down again.

This time, it was Hariyama reached five when Zorua got up. She couldn't hear the crowd anymore. She rushed Scrafty, but was on the ground before she could come close to closing the distance.

Seven seconds, and Zorua was up again. It didn't matter how much damage she took. She couldn't even feel the pain anymore. She tried to attack, but felt her head smack against the ground again.

Keep getting up, Zorua. Eight seconds this time. Get up faster Zorua. Ignore them…. you'll win…Ampharos knew she could win….she could…she would win….even if-

 **0000**

 **Tepig sat in the confessional, not showing any emotion. With a sudden roar, he punched the side hard enough to blast a hole in the wood. He slammed the door on his way out.**

 **0000**

" **I….wow, that was brutal," Victini said in a whisper. "I mean it's awesome for ratings, but at the same time holy shit I just saw that in person!"**

 **0000**

 **Nobody sat in the confessional.**

 **A split second later, Irene smashed through the confessional walls, sending debris ever. Tepig's muffled profanities could be heard coming out of his jeep.**

 **0000**

"Are uh….are you feeling okay, Zorua?" Shuckle asked. Zorua was on a stretcher, covered in bruises, complete with a black eye and bandage wrappings around her chest.

"Y-you asked me that before," Zorua mumbled. "I believe I mentioned the sledgehammer. Now make it like…thirty times bigger and it'll be an accurate description of how I feel right now. And that doesn't even factor in my lack of bladder control."

"I…Scrafty will pay for this, I promise," Lucario said. "And for what it's worth, I didn't vote for you to leave."

"I did," Gallade mumbled. "And I'm sorry. If I knew Scrafty was like that I'd…"

"It's cool," Zorua said with a cough. "I know you guys will. I just wish it could've been me. Pride got the better of me."

Tepig took off his hat, putting it on her head. "You sure can take one hell of a beating, mate. Earned my respect."

"Learned it from the best," Zorua said. "Guys….I'm fine with not winning. Getting beaten down…seeing genuine concern….it-it almost felt good. Is that weird?"

"Nah, I get you," Shuckle said, before motioning one of the doctors over.

"Make sure to get her head checked," he whispered.

"I…I never really had anyone back at home," Zorua said. "I could never say it before but…now it's easier. I know I have Ampharos but….I….are you guys my friends? I don't…if you're not interested in staying in touch I need to know."

"We're not going anywhere Zorua," Shuckle said, fistbumping Zorua. "You're an honorary member of Team Eviolite."

"Awesome. All I needed to here," Zorua said, closing her eyes and relaxing.

"Will she be alright?" Tepig asked, as the stretcher was taken on board.

"We'll do some tests, but nothing life threatening," Doctor Chansey said. "At worst, she'll have a neck brace and may need a wheelchair for a couple weeks."

Victini floated forward. "Uh….I contacted Ampharos, and he'll meet you at the hospital. Her family wasn't uh…. interested in checking in."

"Goddammit, why does the list of people I need to beat the shit out of keep growing?" Tepig said, only half joking.

 **0000**

" **I left with friends," Zorua said, still wearing Tepig's fedora. "All I really needed. Scrafty, go die in a fire. Tepig, you can win. Or beat Scrafty's ass with that metaphorical hammer I keep mentioning. Or both, don't care."**

" **Least I'll see Ampharos soon," Zorua said, sighing dreamily. "He's going to be fawning over me in that adorable way he does and dammit pain killers and confessionals do not go together well. I better sign up before I say something else embarrassing, like how I used the blunt end of Donphan's sword to-"**

 **0000**

 **Charizard sighed. "I'm conflicted. I don't think Scrafty meant to go that far. Tensions are high during the fight and….am I just making excuses?"**

 **He punched the newly refurbished confessional, breaking another hole open. "WHY DO I ALWAYS END UP THE BAD GUY?"**

 **0000**

Scrafty leaned back in a deck chair, smoking as he looked up at the night sky. It was REALLY late, but he was wide awake. How annoying.

"Scrafty."

"Shuckle," Scrafty said, looking down at the smaller Pokemon with a raised eyebrow. "What do you want?"

"You screwed yourself over tonight," Shuckle said. "That performance was one worthy of Charizard, and you're on the next boat trip back home."

"The others' approval isn't a factor," Scrafty drawled. "I could care less what they think of me at this point, but I did us both a favor.'

"What, by beating her half to death?" Shuckle snapped.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault she kept getting up," Scrafty said. "I wasn't looking to shatter her spine. She asked for it. Things got heated. It's not like it was out of malicious intent."

"If you _didn't_ have malicious intent, you'd drown yourself in a lake," Shuckle hissed.

Scrafty flicked his cigarette away. "You know, Shuckle, a thought just struck me. You've had it out for me since the beginning of the game. Before I even started messing with the game. I think I figured it out, actually."

Shuckle narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You watched the show I competed in," Scrafty said. "You knew who I was, and what I became. Munchlax didn't tell you a word; he didn't need to."

"I….you have no proof…"

"I don't need proof," Scrafty said. "You kept it quiet though. Because you've always had your own agenda, and we both now realize we're the same."

"I'm not you," Shuckle said. "I don't betray my friends like you do."

"Oh yeah? Are you telling me that after my departure you'd target Zorua?" Shuckle asked. He grinned as Shuckle suddenly looked away. "Yeah I thought so. It's because it's good planning. And being a strategist means you need to be cutthroat.

"I never really respected you in this game, Shuckle," Scrafty said. "I thought you were an obnoxious little parasite that didn't have the balls to actually make an active effort in removing me from the competition. But then I realized the genius. That was all part of your plan."

"This is all bluster," Shuckle snapped. "You can't turn me into the bad guy here."

"You have this self-deprecating, underdog act that you play. Like you're a lucky weakling. But that's not the case. You're just as big a threat as Zorua, me, and even Slowking was. You're just good at pretending you're not."

"I'm not pretending to be anything!" Shuckle snapped.

"Yeah? Then how is it that both alliances you tangled yourself in are broken, with you slipping by unscathed? You're a threat, Shuckle, and it's about time I started treating you as one," Scrafty said.

Shuckle responded by shooting a string shot that pinned him to the wall. He glared at Scrafty. "I don't care about whatever warped goggles you see through, but I don't give a damn. You're not going to make me guilty about grinding you into dust. And even if you're right, and all I am is a manipulative monster, tough shit. History is never going to see it that way. Because no matter what plans I have, I'm not the one who betrays his girlfriend and beats people half dead."

He dropped Scrafty, who landed on all fours. "You're a strategist? Then plan your way out of what I have in store for you, Scrafty. And it better be a good fucking plan too, because if you waste any more time on first year psychology bullshit, I'll have it that much easier to send you back to whatever worthless ditch you come from."

He crawled away, leaving Scrafty alone.

The hoodlum rubbed his newly bruised arm. "Dans l'attente, image en miroir."

0000

Victini looked up from the magazine he was reading. "Hariyama, can you stop pacing? I'm reading up on Tailow Swift's new emo image."

"Sorry," Hariyama said gruffly. "Hariyama cannot find his flask of immortality."

"Oh," Victini said. "Is that going to be a problem?"

Hariyama shrugged. "Hariyama only needs to defeat Ho-Oh in another Agni Kai. May take about ten minutes. Won't be trouble."

"Oh…good," Victini said, going back to his article.

Hariyama looked thoughtful for a moment. "Unless…someone happened to…."

"Look, if it's going to be a problem-"

"Nothing to worry about. Probably just dropped it or something."

Or something.

 **0000**

Okay, this is FINALLY finished. Oh, also please don't kill me. I know Zorua's a fan favorite, and she's my personal fan favorite in the story, so um….I'm in pain too? Not sadistic delight? Yeah?

Anyway, I'm pretty glad how this turned out. We're reaching the final stretch with only seven campers remaining. What did you guys think? Please, PLEASE review! Don't make this a one way relationship. Give back to me my brothers.

I jest. Do try to review though.

Zorua: *Cough* Ugh, review. Reviews pay for my physical therapy.


	32. Chapter 32: Mt Character Development

0000

Scrafty threw a rock, succeeding in skipping it five times before it inevitably splashed into the water under it.

Charizard nodded in respect, before tossing his own rock. It managed to hop one more than Scrafty's.

The hoodlum had spent a lot of time with Charizard lately. Considering that the people he was closest to (in a manner of speaking) were eliminated, and most were still pissed about what he did to Zorua, he really had nobody else to talk to, and Charizard seemed to view him as a kindred spirit after his own fiasco.

"So uh….do you have a plan now that Zorua is gone?" Charizard asked. He cursed himself for being so horrible at making conversation.

"Shuckle, I think," Scrafty said, making sure to add some hesitance to his voice. "He's a threat."

"Shuckle?" Charizard asked, looking skeptical. "I mean, sure he's smart, but he's about as threatening as soggy noodles."

"Weird simile," Scrafty said. "And no, the kid's in the lucky seven. He clearly knows what he's doing. If not him then Tepig."

"I don't think anyone would fault you in getting Tepig out," Charizard said. "Hell, I'll vote with you long as you don't target me."

"Nah," Scrafty said, thinking to himself that the dragon had screwed himself over anyway. "I don't target friends."

 **0000**

" **Good thing I don't have any," Scrafty said. "I'm essentially using Charizard as a meat shield at this point, and he's too dumb to even notice."**

 **0000**

" **I was an idiot for trusting Scrafty," Charizard said, folding his arms. "I know that look that criminals have. I want him out of the competition, because that look he has in his eyes is dangerous."**

 **0000**

"No, I haven't really seen Tepig anywhere," Lucario said. "Why?"

"Well..." Shuckle said, looking a little sheepish. "Let's just say I'm ever so slightly worried that he may go too far in going after Scrafty. I mean I get that he was close to Zorua, but he can get a little….quirky…"

"True enough," Lucario said, shuddering. "Listen, I'm down to voting with you two to get that bastard out. He's an asshole, and he's going to pay for it."

"Yeah," Shuckle said, thinking to himself. Lucario, Tepig, Charizard, and Gallade were all massive threats in challenges, and if Scrafty was eliminated now then he'd have to deal with at least three of them in the top five. Was it really wise to eliminate Scrafty now instead of later? The guy was a good all-around contestant but he wasn't exactly the peak of Pokemon strength.

"Standby then, Lucario," Shuckle said. "When the opportunity best presents itself we'll send the bastard home."

Lucario grinned. "I'm looking forward to it already."

 **00000**

" **I'm not too worried about Charizard, and Gallade's a bit too introverted to be a social threat, but Lucario may be my next course of action for elimination," Shuckle admitted. "I like the girl, but she's popular and really athletic. I can't compete with that in the finale, but maybe if I can convince Umbreon…."**

 **0000**

"You realize this is a reality tv show, right?" Umbreon asked.

"Right as rain," Tepig said, sharpening a stick. "What's the point?"

"You look like you're preparing for a pitched battle," Umbreon said. "Look, I know you're upset that Zorua is gone-"

"Real men don't feel upset!" Tepig said. "Real men feel nothing but the wrath that comes when delivering justice."

"Yeah, whatever," Umbreon said. "By the way, when this plan inevitably blows up in your face, I want dibs on I told you so."

"Sorry Mate, Gallade already reserved that right," Tepig said. "By the way, I need you to do me a favor."

"Tepig, why? Why on earth did you think that I'd even contemplate the possibility of even considering doing a favor for you," Umbreon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because we both know that you're actually a selfless person that really can't help doing the right thing, even if you like to bitch about it?" Tepig asked with an innocent smile.

Umbreon sighed. "I fucking hate you Tepig."

Tepig grinned. "Everyone does! So, here's the plot, Scott…"

 **0000**

" **Did the camera cut the plan?" Tepig asked. "Cuz see, when the viewer of the show isn't privy to the plan it means it's like guaranteed to work. I bet it was cut off, wasn't it? My plan's going to succeed, just you watch."**

 **0000**

" **I hope Tepig's ability is blaze," Umbreon said with a grim smirk. "Because he's going to crash and burn."**

 **0000**

"Oy! Victini!" Hariyama shouted, before running over. "According to Tpi Critics Weekly we dropped in ratings!"

"Dammit, people really liked Zorua, didn't they?" Victini said, slapping himself in the face. "Is it as bad as when Infernape and Donphan dropped?"

"Lower. We're under Phokemon Island now," Hariyama said. "The one with the Stunfisk."

"Wait, you mean Shaymin's?" Victini asked. "The one who literally just added a letter in 'Pokemon'?"

Hariyama coughed loudly.

"That's bullshit!" Victini said. "She ripped off my story."

"Well, you ripped off Mew's," Hariyama pointed out.

"Yeah, but…ugh whatever," Victini said. "So why are we suddenly getting low reviews?" 

Hariyama looked over the paper in his hands. "According to this? Characters are too negative and edgy. No one to root for."

"Wait, so we're going to have to make them likable?" Victini asked. "Oh my Arceus, fine. Change in schedule, Hariyama. We're having a challenge today!"

Hariyama sighed. "Oh, joy."

0000

"Do you guys all know why you're here?" Victini asked. He was floating behind the podium in front of the campers, who were all sitting in chairs, most as far away as possible. 

"Is this because Tepig got wasted off milk and crashed one of the ferries into a McDonalds?" Lucario asked.

"Oy! I thought we weren't going to mention that!" Tepig shouted.

"You what?" Victini hissed.

"Ah yes," Hariyama said. "That was the other thing I forgot to mention."

"Tepig, what is WRONG with you?" Victini shouted.

Tepig rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, mate. There's about a million of them, who's gonna miss just one? Plus, the manager is going to make a full recovery-" 

"YOU HOSPITALIZED SOMEONE?" Victini shouted.

"O-only a fractured spine."

"God damn-FINE! Hariyama, you're doing the challenge! I have to somehow avoid getting sued!" Victini said, flying off.

Hariyama sighed. "Young campers are giving Victini many headaches. Show is losing ratings thanks to you."

"Why would that be?" Charizard asked.

"Because we fucking suck and nobody likes us?" Shuckle asked. "Everybody cool in this show is gone. WE'RE all that's left, no wonder our IMDB score took a dive."

"Has a point," Gallade admitted. The other campers muttered their assent.

"So, in order to remind everyone that you are FUN, well-meaning contestants that can be rooted for, no sabotage is allowed," Hariyama said.

"Oh, come on!" Tepig shouted. "Can Scrafty be an exception?"

"No, Scrafty cannot be an exception," Hariyama muttered. "You lot will climb up Mount Victory with cup of water. To win, campers must not spill any of the water. This is a team challenge, so immunity can be shared."

"We get to pick partners?" Gallade asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Or go alone, Hariyama does not care," Hariyama said. "Just try not to make fans hate you."

"Okay," Shuckle said. "Er…Tepig? Do you want to-"

Tepig glared at Scrafty. "Time to exploit loopholes."

 **0000**

" **I paired up with Shuckle," Lucario said, shrugging her shoulders.** " **He's one of the easier ones to approach at the very least."**

 **0000**

" **Gallade's a pretty cool choice to work with, I guess," Umbreon admitted. "He seems to know what he's doing at the very least."**

 **0000**

" **I'm screwed!" Gallade hissed. "I have tonfas for hands. I'm going to cut my glass in half!"**

 **0000**

The top seven stared up at the mountain that peaked above the clouds, each carrying a tall glass of water. They eyed each other with various levels of discomfort. Tepig, of course, was the only one who didn't look at all hesitant.

"Ah this'll be easy," Tepig said. "Lame ass top seven challenge."

"Any water spilled and you are disqualified," Hariyama said. "First to top or last man on mountain wins."

The campers all stared at him.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Hariyama shouted. "Go!"

The campers began to scramble up the mountain while carefully holding their cups.

"And no flying, Charizard!"

"FUCK YOU!"

And so, the great climb began. Gallade held his cup up with telekinesis while he used his blades to get a good grip into the rock. He was about even with Lucario, who was athletic enough to make good progress, even with one hand behind her back.

Some campers were struggling. While Tepig could scramble up the mountain like a monkey, Charizard was exhausted, not used to carrying his own weight with him. Umbreon and Scrafty were holding their own, but Shuckle was barely making any progress at all. He kept slipping and tumbling down, though he was clever enough cover his cup with a sticky web to prevent water from escaping.

"Need a plan," he muttered. "If I can just get to Lucario…"

 **0000**

" **I miss my wagon," Shuckle admitted. "I have to keep hitching rides, and I'm pretty sure Charizard would burn me to cinders if he finds anyone on his back again. Especially after Plusle in that one challenge."**

 **0000**

"Hey, you okay, Tepig?" Umbreon asked, arching an eyebrow. "You've been quiet for a while now."

Tepig gave her a wink. "Just plotting my justice. Scrafty won't see it coming." 

"We're not supposed to sabotage in this challenge," Gallade said to Tepig. "In case you've forgotten."

"Bah, who said it had to be during the challenge?" Tepig asked. "I want to light the bloke's pants on fire."

"Yeah, you've made it obvious," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. "Or you could just follow the rules and vote him off."

"This coming from you?" Tepig snickered.

"Okay, you know what? That's fair."

They continued to climb up the mountain. Since Gallade was quite a bit better at climbing, Umbreon found herself working with Tepig, despite her former plans of alliance.

"Oy," Tepig said after a while. "Do you people hate me?" 

"More or less," Umbreon said with a shrug.

"Yes," Gallade said.

"Ah," Tepig said, before going silent for the next few minutes.

"…. Are you going to tell me you're offended?" Umbreon asked with a derisive chuckle.

"Well, I like you guys!" Tepig said. "I thought we were close as a joey in his mother's pouch!"

Gallade slid down the mountain until he was level with Tepig. "Are you serious?"

Tepig shrugged. "I don't know. Believe it or not I don't like to be disliked. Gives me an uncomfortable feeling."

"Okay, so why do you antagonize everybody all the time?" Umbreon asked, arching a brow. It was rare to catch Tepig at a vulnerable time, and she never really got into him as a person.

"I'm trying to be funny," Tepig admitted. "Not make people hate me. I don't mean any harm, not really."

"You do have a weird brand of humor," Gallade said, before growing silent for a while. "But you make yourself out to be larger than life and it causes some people to only see you as uh…you know…the way you act. Why such extremities?"

Tepig thought for a moment. Why DID he act like that? He wasn't exactly charismatic. "I suppose…. being hated is preferable to being ignored? Least in my case. Parents never really much time for me so I sometimes I feel I have to make up for it."

"Oh," Umbreon said. "That's uh…depressing. I uh…similar situation. We in the Eevee line usually grow up in big families, and I was always the black sheep. I always stayed apart from them, so I like to be alone. Or at least, I tell myself that…" 

"Pokemon are social creatures," Gallade muttered, hoisting himself onto a ledge. "Even dark types need somebody sometimes." 

"Well of course you're right," Umbreon admitted with a sigh, accepting Gallade's help in being pulled over the edge. "I guess I thought the more I acted like I liked being alone, I'd just forget I was acting. And in all honesty? That's kind of what happened."

"But not completely?" Tepig guessed, rolling over next to them, his cup steady in his hands.

Umbreon sighed. "Course not. I'm lonely, I'll admit it. Sylveon was a timid little shit, but…she also reminded me of a family that I never really bonded with. I guess I was just…projecting, a little."

"Speaking of family…." Gallade started, though he hesitated a little.

"Come on Mate, spill," Tepig said. "We're all unloading our heavy shit right now, follow suit!"

Gallade looked like he wanted to play punch the pig, but he relented. "Okay. I-I don't know how to feel about Kirlia. She's my sister, and I've raised her ever since she was little, but…"

"She betrayed you on national television," Umbreon pointed out. "And basically fucked with your sanity." 

"Yes," Gallade said. "But she's also a flighty idiot that sometimes doesn't know the damage she causes."

"I mean, that really isn't an excuse-"

"It doesn't matter if it's an excuse!" Gallade snarled. "I…I still need to take responsibility for her, right? I'm all she has, and I can't abandon her! I just don't know if I can forgive her."

The trio stared at each other, a little embarrassed at spilling their guts. Well, everyone except for-

"Ha, now we ALL have to be best mates," Tepig said with a conniving grin. "You lot are stuck in my life forever." 

Gallade and Umbreon glanced at each other, before shrugging their shoulders.

"Fuck it, why not?" Umbreon asked. "I don't need to be an edgy bitch all the time. You all can get high with me whenever you want."

"How on earth did you get past that drug test we needed to take to get into the show?" Gallade asked with a snicker. "But sure. Even though, I'm not really used to having a lot of friends. More people to talk to would be….nice."

"Wait, so you're seriously going to be friends with _Tepig_?" Umbreon asked in disbelief.

Gallade rubbed his arm awkwardly. Why did he have to suck at being social? "Okay, I know we haven't had the best history, but….I'll admit I overreacted and I….may have sort of always liked you a bit."

Tepig sniffed. Gallade's eye widened. WAS HE CRYING?" "Y-you really mean that?"

"You're ruining it. Don't you dare ruin it."

Tepig sobbed, blowing his nose into a tissue. Gallade groaned and slapped his head as Umbreon chuckled.

"You ruined it," Gallade snapped, walking off to continue climbing. "You ruined it and I don't want to be friends anymore." 

Umbreon shook her head and smiled as Tepig punched the green Pokemon in the shoulder, and they began to ascend together, the wind carrying their banter. There were a lot of things she had to complain about and regret during her stay at the island, but the people here? The people here sure were something.

 **0000**

" **l'm a bitch, I know that," Umbreon admitted. "I LIKE being the person I am. But at the same time…. sometimes it's nice to know you won't die** _ **completely**_ **alone."**

 **She blushed. "Oh ew…was that cliché? Gross, don't air this. I do not consent!"  
0000**

"Shuckle, what the hell are you doing?" Hariyama asked, looking up from his copy of __Socializing for Dummies _._ The little guy had been dragging around and crafting what looked to be like a makeshift ramp.

"Are you sure you can't get Sableye here?" Shuckle asked, wiping sweat from his brow. "Because this is really hard with opposable thumbs."

Hariyama sighed, getting up. "Okay, Hariyama is aware that geniuses think in different ways, but Hariyama is beginning to think Shuckle misunderstood fundamentals of challenge."

"You nailed me with that first bit," Shuckle said as he tried to lift up a box to use to prop up the ramp. "Trust me, this is going to be kickass." He swore as he lost balance and dropped it, but Hariyama caught it easily.

The sumo wrestler sighed. "If Shuckle is sure."

0000

Scrafty grunted as he made a leap of faith to a higher ledge. He caught it with a hand, breathing a sigh of relief as he set his glass up onto it before hauling himself over. Deciding to take a smoke break, a took a minute to glance at the others' progress.

Tepig, Umbreon, and Gallade seemed to be climbing together, but Scrafty noticed it was hampering Gallade's progress. Lucario had passed the three of them and seemed to be finding her stride.

Below him, Shuckle still hadn't started climbing the mountain, and Charizard was still struggling against his own weight, his face wet with perspiration. Scrafty watched as the dragon swore and slipped back a little.

What to do now? Each episode was a puzzle that was getting increasingly harder to solve. He regretted hospitalizing Zorua, partially because it made the others more distrustful, and partly because it was just a shitty thing to do in general. Maybe he'd send a get-well card or something.

He began to climb again, but his mind wasn't on his progress. Normally he'd lay low, but with Tepig campaigning to get rid of him he'd be a very popular choice for the next elimination. If only there were a way to silence the pig without looking like he had gotten involved…

It was then that inspiration struck. This was _Tepig._ The idiot would probably screw himself over if Scrafty set it up. Tepig was a ticking time bomb, so all he needed to do was provoke him. Hoping he knew what he was doing, Scrafty grunted and began to climb closer to Gallade, Umbreon, and Tepig.

 **0000**

" **If either Tepig or Shuckle leave, I'm golden," Scrafty said. "I may have trouble getting out the other, but soon Gallade will need to be targeted as a threat and Charizard will want to be dumped. That leaves Lucario and Umbreon in the top three, and if I can agree with Emo Girl to boot out the butch, it's an easy finale."**

 **0000**

"Alright, finally!" Shuckle said, looking over his creation. "I managed to create a ramp out of nothing but a bit of string, a ramp, and a few buckets."

"Okay," Hariyama said. "But how will this help in challenge?"

Shuckle crawled up a ladder to the top of his ramp. "Just watch, Sum-wait a minute."

"Yes?" Hariyama asked.

"You're a sumo wrestler, yes?" Shuckle asked, looking at Hariyama curiously.

"That is correct. Six-time Yūshō winner to be precise," Hariyama said. "In an Ubers tournament."

"But…you have a Russian accent," Shuckle said. "Why do you have a Russian accent?"

"I-look aren't you supposed to be doing something with this ramp?" Hariyama asked, his eyes shifting from side to side.

"Oh yeah," Shuckle said, looking down and taking a deep breath. "Well, here goes nothing!"

Shuckle tucked his head and limbs into his shell, before rolling down the ramp, building up speed. Hariyama raised an eyebrow as Shuckle built up enough momentum to be sent flying up the mountain, past both Scrafty and Charizard…

"Lucario!" Shuckle shouted as he flew towards her, swearing inside as he realized he had miscalculated. Lucario turned and her eyes widened.

"Shuckle?" She asked, more out of surprise then confusion. Shuckle slapped against the mountain a bit above her and began to roll down.

"Catch me Lucario!" Shuckle shrieked as he rolled past her. "Catch me, catch me, CATCH ME!"

Lucario groaned as she anchored her leg around a rock and snatched Shuckle by one of his limbs. Unfortunately, the effort made her drop her cup, and it splashed all over the two of them.

"Sorry," Shuckle mumbled.

Lucario sighed, trying to avoid exploding in anger. "It's fine. But now we have no hope of winning."

"Hey, I still have my cup," Shuckle said, showing her his still full glass, protected by the sticky web. "Hariyama never said we had to bring one cup for each person."

"I….huh, good point," Lucario admitted. "Well, hop on my shoulders then, okay? I'll be the brawn, you be the brain."

"Deal!" Shuckle said, wrapping his arms around Lucario's waist. "Onward!"

"I'll kick you off," Lucario warned.

 **0000**

" **Shuckle is…cool, I guess?" Lucario said without much conviction. "I mean, sure he's REALLY quirky, but…he does always seem so earnest and genuine."**

 **0000**

" **I think Lucario's warming up to me," Shuckle said with a relieved smile. "It's scary to think that Tepig is your only friend left on the island."**

 **0000**

Gallade wiped some sweat off his brow, taking another glance at Tepig and Umbreon behind him. Umbreon looked tired, and her constant complaining had oddly become almost soothing in the way he could always expect from her. He felt an odd surge of affection for the girl. She was always up front about everything, and never tried to be manipulative or hide her feelings, which was refreshing in a game with such a huge emphasis on politics.

"Why are you smiling at me, weirdo?" Umbreon asked, raising an eyebrow. "What, do I have something on my face."

"Nah," Gallade said, turning away and chuckling a little.

Tepig, on the other hand, had been quiet as of late, a fact that Gallade found very disturbing. His normal quips were replaced by mutterings to himself and what he thought were death threats.

Gallade sighed. He hated being the one to engage in conversations, but who else was going to do it?

He slid down until he was level with Tepig. "Something the matter?"

"Eh? Ah no, I'm fine," Tepig said.

"I…uh…you're sure?" Gallade winced at his own failures. Dammit, what did the book say to say here? Think, Gallade. Maybe…

"Uh…what are you doing?" Tepig asked. Gallade's arms were wrapped around him in a hug.

"This is how friends show affection, right?" Gallade asked, trying not to blush. "Am I doing this right?"

"You're makin' this weird, mate," Tepig said, trying to break free. "Why aren't you letting go?"

"I don't know what the next step is," Gallade muttered, trying to think.

"That's well and good, but can you let me go? Please?"

Umbreon lost her struggle to refrain from laughing and cracked up. Unfortunately, in her mirth she dropped her cup, which shattered against the rocks.

"Shit!" She shouted.

"Wow," came a snarky voice. "And here I was planning on tripping one of you up without getting caught. Thanks, Umbreon, you've saved me a lot of trouble."

Scrafty.

The hoodlum was a little lower on the mountain, staring at the trio with a coy grin on his face. His eyes seemed to dare them to make a move.

"Ohohoho," Tepig said, snorting smoke out of his nostrils. "This is going to be fun." 

"Ignore him, Tepig," Gallade said, giving Scrafty a contemptible look. "He isn't worth it."

Scrafty scowled back. "What happened with working with me, Gallade? I thought we were allies."

"We both know what happened after that elimination ceremony," Gallade spat. "We're done, and I wouldn't get comfortable here. Your days are numbered."

"Yeah, I can count them on one finger!" Tepig shouted, trying to launch himself at Scrafty, but Umbreon managed to grab his springy tail and hold him back.

"Come on, we don't have to resort to this," she said. "Besides, you don't even have any fingers."

Scrafty continued to climb, closing the distance with a hidden smile. Even if he couldn't directly make them slip up, he had turned Tepig into a handful and slowed them down. The pig would back down, but by then it would be too late to stop Scrafty from getting immunity.

"Don't be a spaz, Tepig," Scrafty taunted, grinning even wider when Tepig began to struggle harder.

"Gonna…kick…his…ass…gerroff!" Tepig grunted.

"He wants to get a rise out of you!" Gallade snapped. "We can still beat him and vote him off! Don't play Scrafty's game!"

"I…alright, alright." Tepig took a deep breath. "I'm….I'm good."

Umbreon let go as Tepig took deep breaths to calm down. He picked up his cup again, ready to climb.

"Okay, good," Umbreon said. "Now, if we could just-"

"YARRGH!" Tepig shouted, chucking his glass at Scrafty, who was caught completely off guard. Tepig leaped off the mountain and tackled Scrafty, the pig and hoodlum rolling together down the mountain.

Umbreon and Gallade gaped at the announcement that both had been disqualified from the challenge.

 **0000  
"I'm **_**very**_ **good," Tepig said, folding his arms and grinning. "Good at ignoring instructions."**

 **0000**

Charizard swore loudly as his cup slipped out of his grip and cracked against a rock. Water splashed Charizard's stomach, and his vision turned red. With a roar of pure rage, he flew off the mountain and released a column of fire that set the field under him ablaze.

He crashed into the ground, slamming a fist into the dirt and letting out a frustrated yelp.

"Oy," Hariyama said, looking over his copy of Socializing For Dummies. "Charizard will pay for any property damage and destroyed plants."

Charizard bit back a retort, before flopping down his back, feeling his white-hot anger lessen to a slow burn.

"Sorry," he muttered. Why did he have to be like this? Every time he felt like he was getting somewhere, he'd screw up and look like a total psycho.

"Hariyama recommends therapy," Hariyama drawled, turning the page of his book.

He was screwed in this competition now, anyway. The only reason why he was still in was because nobody took him seriously anymore. He'd be cast off as an afterthought due to his popularity. Now that he had lost his chance at immunity, he'd be the most popular candidate for going home.

And once he did? He'd made an ass out of himself on international television. He had seen it happen before. He'd be stripped of his badge, scorned by people who didn't know him and loathed by people who did. His only chance was winning. He _had_ to win.

The confirmation of his goal managed to steady his nerves, and he stood up. "Am I free to go to the mess?"

"Knock yourself out," Hariyama said.

He made his way out, muttering to himself. He wasn't much of a planner or strategist, but if he wanted to win, he needed to learn how. If he needed to be manipulative, he'd do it.

 **0000**

" **I'm not leaving empty handed," Charizard said, cracking his knuckles.**

 **0000**

Scrafty groaned in pain as his back hit the rocks. Swearing Tepig, he jumped to his feet. Tepig, on the other hand, fell on his head.

Tepig burst out, hitting himself in the face to pump himself up. He pawed the ground as Scrafty got into a defensive fighting stance.

"This grudge is getting really old really fast!" Scrafty spat.

"Maybe you should've thought about that before beating around Zorua!" Tepig snapped, releasing a jet of fire from his nose. "I'm going to pound you so hard Minccino will be jealous!"

"Yeah, jealous of girls with normal boyfriends," Scrafty said. "Come on!"

Tepig threw himself into a flame charge that blasted Scrafty into a wall. Scrafty kicked him off and the two grappled, wrestling for control.

"Will you just…piss…off already?" Scrafty hissed, trying and failing to break Tepig's grip.

Tepig smirked. "Is that what you told Audino after you betrayed her?"

BAM!

Tepig was sent spinning away, clutching his nose. Scrafty's eyes were blazing and his fists were clenched.

"Hit a nerve there, didn't I?" Tepig said, wiping the blood away.

Scrafty was seething. "You're despicable."

"G'day Pot," Tepig drawled. "Name's Kettle."

Scrafty pulled his dagger out of his pants, the light shining off its blade. "I'd stop fucking with me if I were you."

"Oh malarkey," Tepig said as Scrafty lunged forward. "That's not a knife."

Scrafty plunged his dagger down-

CLANG!

Scrafty slid back and sidestepped a swipe from a deadlier blade. Tepig tossed the bowie knife in his hand.

"This is a knife."

0000

"Almost there!" Shuckle shouted. "You're doing great so far!"

"Don't count your Torchics before they hatch," Lucario warned. "What's the progress of the others?"

Shuckle squinted as he glanced down. It looked like Gallade was catching up, but Umbreon was losing steam and seemed to be giving up.

"Gallade's gaining on us, but with the pace we're keeping we should be fine," Shuckle said. "Although…."

"Something wrong?" Lucario asked, locking her leg around a foothold. Her hands were getting sweaty and she was worried she might slip.

"I don't _think_ so," Shuckle said, looking suspicious. "But I can't find Tepig or Scrafty. Knowing that asshole, he's planning something and it won't be pretty."

"Which asshole?" Lucario asked curiously.

"Which one is worse?"

"Fair enough." Lucario chuckled. Shuckle wasn't so bad.

"Hey Shuckle?"

"Hmmm?"

"You've always hated Scrafty," Lucario said, making sure to choose her words carefully. She didn't want to put him on the defensive, and she knew Shuckle were REALLY good at getting defensive. "I know he can be shitty sometimes, but where did the animosity come from?"

Shuckle hesitated, as if trying to decide whether he could trust her. "I um…it's personal."

"You don't have to-"

"No." Shuckle sighed, steeling his nerves. "I really should talk about it. I wouldn't want you to hear it from him."

"Okay?" Lucario said, not even paying attention to the mountain she was climbing anymore. "Shoot."

"This wasn't the first TV show competition Scrafty's competed in," Shuckle said. "I'm not sure how much you know about reality tv, but there was this show on a few years back…Total Pokemon Dirtbags. Ever hear of it?" 

"Oh…." Lucario cocked her head to the side. "I don't know a ton, but I do think I've heard that name mentioned before. Scrafty was on that?"

"Yeah," Shuckle said, nodding earnestly. "And uh…he was my hero. He was just a Scraggy at the time, and he was competing against big, tough Pokemon that dominated the competition. He looked like one hell of an underdog, and I was infatuated. I wanted him to win so bad. And then, he did."

"Scrafty WON?" Lucario gasped in disbelief. "What did he come back for?"

"Because he didn't know what to do with the money," Shuckle said. "He sank into a life of excess until he had nothing. Most people forget what happens to the people competing in these shows. Not me."

"But still…I mean I know you have history, but why-"

"Because he's dangerous, Lucario!" Shuckle snapped. "He's sly, and smart as hell, and he'll get away with sabotaging others. His actions got sketchier and sketchier over the course of the show, and-"

"-And he reminds you of yourself," Lucario said, glancing up at him.

Shuckle let out a rueful chuckle. "That obvious, is it?"

"Yeah, a bit," Lucario said. "You're smart, and you're weaker physically then us, so you're worried you'll resort to his tactics."

"I already HAVE resorted to his tactics," Shuckle admitted. "The worst part is, I think I understand him, even if he does do awful things. Because deep down, I know, that in order to win-"

"You're not like him!" Lucario let out a frustrated bark. "You'd _never_ resort to-"

"Won't I?" Shuckle asked dryly. "Think of it this way, Lucario. If I could tell you that by resorting to something cheap and dirty you would get a free pass into the tournament that's basically your life dream, would you refuse it?"

Lucario opened her mouth to speak, but then fell silent as she felt it sink in.

"Not so easy, is it?" Shuckle said. "I…. I really want to win this competition. More than I've ever wanted to do anything in my entire life. I love the friends I've made here with all my heart, but…. I'm not them. I can't sacrifice myself to save friendships like Plusle, I can't go around making friends and not giving a damn if I have a good time like Bidoof….and I certainly don't have the empathy and patience of Munchlax. Wonderful group of people, but I was always the odd one out. Now I'm just the odd one in."

Lucario didn't answer for a while, instead just focusing on climbing. The pause was so long that Shuckle was just beginning to think he had scared her when she spoke.

"I'm sure your friends knew that," Lucario said.

"Pardon?" Shuckle asked.

"I don't think you're giving them enough credit," Lucario said. "They all knew you well, and they accepted you as one of their one. You belonged with them because they welcomed you, not because they were like you."

"Huh," Shuckle said. "I never thought about it like that I guess."

"And this is kind of a life hack, but I _can_ read auras," Lucario said. "You don't have bad intentions. I can feel it. You just play the game the way you know best, and unlike Scrafty, I know you won't ever be abusive with it."

"I…dammit I can't argue with you," Shuckle said with a laugh. "Thanks, Lucario. I needed this talk. I guess I'm just sick of being in my own head."

"It's fine," Lucario said firmly. "Honestly after all the counseling I've gotten this season it's nice to be able to return the favor."

"Well, we're almost at the summit," Shuckle said, his expression much brighter. "Let's net us some immunity, partner!"

 **0000**

" **I think he needed to feel justified for his thoughts and actions," Lucario said. "I'm not exactly Grovyle, but I guess I've always been all right at reading auras and interpreting them."**

 **She folded her arms. "You know…if I don't make it, I kind of hope Shuckle wins. I think he deserves it after the massive effort he's been putting in."**

 **0000**

Scrafty and Tepig exchanged blows, the former struggling against the latter's greater reach with his blade.

Tepig swung his bowie knife for Scrafty's head, but the hoodlum managed to duck under it and elbow the pig in the stomach. Tepig let out a squeal and tumbled down the mountain, only stopping himself by driving his blade between the rocks as an anchor.

Scrafty stood over him, tossing his knife to the side. "This was your plan, eh? Try to beat me up? Well, so far _Zorua_ did a better job, and she's still in physical therapy."

Tepig growled, throwing himself forward, but he had lost his edge. Scrafty kicked him to the side, before throwing three consecutive punches that sent Tepig stumbling over to a cliff face.

Tepig winced, feeling drained of his energy. Despite the nature of the battle, Scrafty looked refreshed, almost as though he was enjoying himself.

"Ah," Tepig said, realization dawning on his face. "So that's how you did it."

Scrafty raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"That's how you beat Zorua. You used drain punch to drain her health to nothing. Asshole."

Scrafty folded his arms. "Not like you could ever prove it. And besides, if that's the case then this match is over before it even began."

"Not bloody likely," Tepig said, using the rock next to him to prop himself up. "Come on, then. Let's go!"

"You really don't have a clue, do you?" Scrafty deadpanned. "You can't win this. You don't have the brains, you don't have the brawn. Leave now, and you won't be humiliated on international television."

"Right on both accounts, Scrafty," Tepig said. "But I _do_ have something you don't."

"What, chlamydia?" Scrafty cracked.

"I may not be as brainy as you or Shuckle," Tepig said. "But I am smart enough to know that a fight between the two of us might not end well."

Scrafty folded his arms, now slightly curious. "Go on."

"I've got two nice little surprises I'd like to show you," Tepig said. "Two delicious drinks that will spell your doom."

Scrafty watched as Tepig reached into his diaper, pulling out Victini's energy drink in one hand, and Hariyama's hip flask in the other. "Wait….what are you-"

"Time to do some alchemy, mate," Tepig said, pouring the energy drink into the flask and holding it to his mouth. "I'd start running if I were you."

Scrafty swore, doing the opposite to knock it away, but Tepig avoided his attack by rolling and downed the drink in one gulp.

"I….holy shit, you actually-" Scrafty whispered, backing up a little bit.

Tepig and Scrafty stared at each other, the former grinning and the latter backing up.

"….Huh, don't really feel any different," Tepig remarked after a minute. "Maybe it was a dud?"

"Oh," Scrafty said. "Well, that's a relief-"

"AHHHH!" Tepig shouted as a golden light exploded around him. He fell to his knees, feeling a terrifying aura wrap around him.

The aura of the newborn power was so great that Scrafty fell, his legs no longer able to support him. He stared awestruck at Tepig, who was examining himself.

When the pig's eyes opened, his pupils were golden. "Wow. This power is amazing….my mind….it can wrap around the concept of forever. I'm a cosmic being, my existence encompasses the past, present, and future."

With a roar, the very clouds turned dark and swirled in the air, and bolts of lightning struck around Tepig. He glared at Scrafty, who looked as though he had just shit himself.

"What….what did you-HOW? HOW DID YOU BECOME SO POWERFUL!" Scrafty shouted, his face pale.

"Fuck you, that's how!" Tepig drawled, his entire being screaming with power. "I'm going to knock the evolution out of you."

Scrafty, turned and tried to run, but Tepig teleported in front of the hoodlum and threw an uppercut that sent him flying in the air, before teleporting and landing a spin kick that was strong enough to smash Scrafty _through the mountain,_ leaving a crater in his wake.

Tepig glowed with power, his fist turning a bright white. "Serious punch!"

He flew down, kicked Scrafty in the air, before spinning and punching Scrafty in the stomach, the forces of the universe in his blow. Scrafty's eyes bugged out, and he made a whimpering sound as his body turned a bright white….

 **0000**

 **Hariyama sighed. "So THAT'S where it was. Still, clever for combining Victini's soda for it. He'll be bouncing around for a few centuries unless we get Cresselia to soothe him or something. Dammit he'll need a legendary license now too."**

 **0000**

"Wow, weather changed real fast," Shuckle noted. "Think it's a flash storm or something?"

"Focus, Shuckle," Lucario grounded out. The rain was making her slip more. "Is Gallade still close?"

Shuckle looked down. Gallade was clutching his ruined eye. Shuckle winced, realizing that the rain water must have landed directly in his eye wound.

"No!" He said. "We're right at the top!"

"Oh, thank God," Lucario gasped out, pulling herself up to the summit and rolling to her back, breathing heavily.

"We totally won that, Lucario! Nice!" Shuckle said.

"Actually…."

Lucario and Shuckle glanced at an exhausted looking Victini, who had just gotten off his phone. Shuckle and Lucario glanced at each other. This couldn't be good.

"…Well, show me your cups first," Victini said, stalling on the explanation.

Shuckle showed Victini his full cup. "We just have the one, because you technically never _told_ us-"

"Whatever loophole you have in mind, save it," Victini interrupted. "Doesn't matter anyway. Lucario, you have immunity for next challenge. Shuckle, you do not."

"What?" Shuckle yelped. "But why?"

Victini clicked his teeth impatiently. He really didn't have time for whiny campers right now. "Last challenge, you were the last Pokemon to be 'It' before you sacrificed yourself to take out Scrafty. I mentioned a punishment, and yes, I just decided it now. I am busy as SHIT right now!"

"Aww man…." Shuckle said, sighing dejectedly.

"Wait, Victini?" Lucario asked. "Why immunity for next challenge instead of this one?"

Victini sighed. "Because there's been….an automatic elimination."

"Please say Scrafty," Shuckle mumbled.

"It isn't Scrafty, though it involves him," Victini said. "For drinking out of Hariyama's hip flask and becoming an immortal cosmic being, beating Scrafty so bad that he literally REGRESSED back into his pre-evolution form, and then stealing all my energy drinks and flying off to the moon, Tepig has been automatically eliminated."

"Wait. Wait, I need some time for that to sink in," Shuckle said, smacking his head.

"Then you have the next three days!" Victini shouted. "The rest of you are safe for now. Go enjoy yourselves! I'm busy getting SUED!"

He teleported away, leaving a gob smacked Shuckle and Lucario behind.

 **0000**

" **Tepig's gone? Just like that?" Umbreon asked. "Damn…"**

 **0000**

" **Well, I'm glad he did a number on Scrafty before he left," Gallade said with an approving nod. "I hope he's happy, wherever he is…"**

 **0000**

" **Is it weird that I'm not surprised?" Charizard asked. "The guy literally REPRESENTED unbridled chaos. I'm so used to his utter nonsense and absurd actions that I'd almost be more surprised if his elimination was low key and normal."**

 **0000**

" **WHAT THE FUCK, TEPIG!" Shuckle shouted. "DUDE, ALL YOU HAD TO DO WAS VOTE HIM OFF WITH ME! THAT'S ANOTHER ALLIANCE DOWN THE DRAIN!"**

 **Shuckle took a deep breath. "Man, I need a drink. Maybe Tepig could hook me up with a moomoo-"**

" _ **Oh, you son of a bitch,"**_ **Shuckle whispered, giving the camera the evil eye.**

0000

The top six remaining campers sat at the mess, eating the food Hariyama had prepared for them. Though his quality had improved drastically, the tone was…. off.

Umbreon realized it with a start. Tepig. His departure had affected everyone. It wasn't that anyone had particularly _liked_ Tepig, but he had one massive presence. Everything felt so…. boring without him.

Shuckle, Umbreon, Lucario, and Gallade sat together at a table, none of them talking much. Charizard was sitting by himself, but he kept looking up to stare between the remainder of the cast, as if wondering who would be the next to go. Gallade had picked up the bad habit of carving into the wood with his blade. Shuckle was full of nervous energy, and couldn't sit still properly.

Scraggy too, was by himself, though the way he held himself was very different than Charizard. He was more akin to Shuckle in that he couldn't sit still, his leg shaking a little and his hand tapping on the table. Bandages covered his chest, and he was muttering to himself. His eyes darted this way and that, as if expecting someone to attack him.

Despite his paranoid state, Scraggy was hiding a victorious smile.

He was still here and the pig was gone, despite the massive boost in power. Sure, he lost power in his devolution, but he had gained advantages as well. Compared to the massive physical threats in Gallade and Lucario, nobody would notice frail little Scraggy, who had been knocked down a peg, slipping through the cracks. Well, Shuckle would, but without allies, Scraggy would ensure the endolith would be on the next boat home.

He got up without eating a bite, giving Hariyama curt thanks and walking out the door. Umbreon watched him leave with a suspicious glare.

"He's up to something," she murmured.

"Always is," Shuckle agreed with a tired sigh. "I'm tired of him getting away with everything."

"Yeah, well karma has shit timing," Umbreon reasoned. "We'll get him out eventually."

"You…you guys are willing to get him out, too?" Shuckle asked, looking hopeful.

"Aye," Gallade said, folding his arms. "Dude's a dick. I'm perfectly fine with dumping him if I get the chance."

"Did you just say aye?" Umbreon whispered.

"Well, sweet!" Shuckle said. "We won't exactly call this alliance, but how about we all agree to ignore targeting each other until Scrafty and Charizard leave? That way the top four will only be made up of _semi_ assholes."

"Yeah, why the hell not?" Lucario said. "Just get the majority vote and we kick all the evil off the island. It's not rocket science."

Gallade didn't answer when the others agreed, and stayed a bit longer then the others after they left. He was trying to be sociable, but he _did_ like being alone for at least some of the day.

"It's never that easy, Lucario," Gallade mumbled as he walked to his cabin. "People like him are just really good at surviving. One of us is next; I can feel it."

 **0000**

" **I'm still in this game somehow," Umbreon said, looking surprised. "I don't really know how, but hey. I'm five eliminations away from having a million bucks. That's pretty damn good, now that I actually have the chance. Plus, it's not even like the target is on my back to begin with. I stay under the radar and I make easy money. I just never thought I'd become so invested."**

 **0000**

Shuckle crawled into the arts and crafts tent, clutching the crumpled note in his hand. "Hey, uh…I'm here. In case anyone wanted to talk."

A tiny ball of fire was the only source of light in the room, and Shuckle could recognize who the person was easily because of it. He'd never forget that fiery tail…

"Charizard?" Shuckle whispered.

"Hey," came Charizard's rumbling voice. "I uh…I called you here for a reason."

"What did you want?" Shuckle asked, his expression guarded. Given his unstable temperament, Shuckle was beyond the point of distrustful with the guy.

"I uh….I need help," Charizard said, and Shuckle could feel genuine pain in his voice. "I-I know the impression I made is a bad one, but I don't like being like this."

"Yeah, okay," Shuckle said, trying to judge the dragon's emotions. It was clear the guy wanted something from him, but he couldn't tell what. "Why are you telling me?"

"Because I needed to tell _someone,"_ Charizard grunted. "And you're more unassuming then most. And smart, so I figured you could help me."

"How would you even want me to help?" Shuckle asked, silently trying to goad more out of him. "I'm no therapist."

"I just…I have a mega stone," Charizard explained. "When I'm in that form…I lose control. All of my worst qualities come out, and though I told myself I'd never use it, I become more desperate and hotheaded by the day and…I'm scared I might do more damage."

Realization dawned on Shuckle's face. Ah. So _that's_ what that was. "So basically, you want me to help you avoid mega evolution. That it?"

"Yeah," Charizard admitted. "And y'know, any kind of advice you could give me…"

"I guess I could help out with that," Shuckle said hesitantly. "Just…don't expect too much out of me."

"All I want is support," Charizard pleaded. "One friend to pull me out of this. Even if I can't win….I….I just don't want to lose everything."

Shuckle sighed. "Okay, I'll help you out. But you have to promise to vote out Scraggy first chance you get in exchange."

"Deal," Charizard said, grinning. "So uh…what should I do…."

"Just give me time to plan…." Shuckle muttered, more to himself. "If I do this right I could kill two Pidgey with one stone…."

"Pardon?"

"Don't worry about it," Shuckle said. "Sure, I'll help. I'll make sure you're nowhere near feeling the need to mega evolve. Hell, maybe we'll try some ASMR or classical music to keep your blood pressure low."

 **00000**

" **It seems like I'm allies with everyone except Scrafty at this point," Shuckle said. "Even with both my alliances gone, I'm in a pretty good spot in terms of popularity."**

 **0000**

" **It wasn't** _ **all**_ **a lie, okay?" Charizard defended. "I hate to be a manipulative prick, but if I can save my mega evolution it's a free win at the finale, and I wasn't lying about snapping and releasing that power too soon."**

" **I do want to improve," he said as an afterthought. "I don't want to be the bad guy. But that shouldn't stop me from wanting to win, yeah?"**

 **0000**

"Is young Victini okay?" Hariyama asked. The poor fox was groaning in an armchair.

"Dude, we've gotten so many lawsuits," Victini said with a moan. "Kyogre is riding our ass harder then Sableye did to a diamond."

"Weird simile," Hariyama said. "Look, why not have vacation time. Hariyama can take over cast for next challenge."

"Nah, if I go you're coming too," Victini snapped. "You've worked just as hard as me as of late."

Hariyama raised his arms in surrender. "Fine then."

Victini sighed, looking at his Number #0 Legend mug. "Do you think Tepig will regret it, Harry? Because I sure as hell do sometimes."

"You mean becoming immortal?" Hariyama asked. "Hariyama doubts he planned it out. Pig was never good at planning beyond the next five minutes of goals."

"Yeah, fair," Victini admitted. "Still…I kind of hate my life as a legendary. The immortality is boring, I can never really change, and my legendary duties totally suck. We legends don't get to choose our own paths. We're cosmic beings that were created for a specific purpose. Tepig could have avoided that, but now he's stuck in the same spot we are."

Hariyama thought for a moment. "Hariyama has noticed very many changes in Victini, especially since show started. You are still young yes? Victini must find his own meaning."

Victini sighed. "I guess."

"Has Tepig been assigned his domain and job yet?" Hariyama asked curiously.

"The Arceus are still discussing it," Victini said, rolling his eyes. "With _very_ different perspectives. Ghost is still campaigning to kill him for 'breaking the laws of nature.'"

"Where has this existential crisis been coming from?" Hariyama asked. "Everything okay?"

Victini sighed. "Yeah….I'm just bummed out. Dammit, you know what? You and me, vacation. Let's do it. We'll get another legendary host for the next challenge."

"Like who?" Hariyama asked. "We have Phione on speed dial."

"NO!" Victini snarled. "ANYONE BUT PHIONE! HE ACTUALLY LOWERS OUR RATINGS!"

"Fine, sheesh," Hariyama said. "We can get new legend."

"If Phione is ever even CONSIDERED being brought back, I'm hanging myself," Victini said.

"We'd better start making plans," Hariyama said.

"Okay, you book the flight, I'll call the legend," Victini said. "It'll be easy. The other legends _love_ our show."

0000

Okay, chapter is FINALLY finished! About time! 

Okay, I'm sure there are going to be a LOT of questions about Tepig's elimination, so uh…feel free to pm. Basically, using Hariyama's immortality potion, Tepig made himself a god. Yeah. That's what happened. Think of something more scatterbrained, lol.

Still, the breakout character is gone. It's going to be weird writing without him. And kinda sad.

I wanted this chapter to focus more on character interaction and development then the actual challenge. While the region sightseeing, challenge focused more on humor, this one had more of an emphasis on character growth. A couple guys thought there was nobody to root for, and I genuinely hope this chapter at the very least made some more characters likable.

We're nearing the end. Once again, reviews are REALLY appreciated. They're totally my motivation in life!

Tepig: Review, mates! Review for my new life as a cosmic entity!"

Minccino: TEPIG, I SWEAR IF YOU DON'T COME DOWN TO EARTH THIS INSTANT AND EXPLAIN WHY THE FUCK YOU THOUGHT THE DECISION YOU MADE WAS OKAY, I'M GOING TO CASTRATE YOU!

Tepig: ….Oh fuck.


	33. Chapter 33: TepigBall

Hey guys, new chapter is out! Hope you enjoy!

Also, quick shout out! Not only Premasaur, who once again was kind enough to serve as my editor, but to my friend Fuzzboy as well. He gave me a readthrough beforehand to help me improve as a writer. Thanks bro!

0000

"No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no-"

Victini was shaking his head and backing up, rubbing a hand over his ears.

"Victini said that anyone would be preferable to Phione," Hariyama said, shrugging.

"Yeah, but I hadn't even considered the thought of- "

"Oh, come on mate, you know I'm a ratings jewel," Tepig said, waving him off.

"I-I guess…." Victini said. "But you don't even count as a legendary! You just drank a bunch of shit and got super powerful!"

"Someone's jealous," Hariyama said, chuckling.

"Stay out of this, Harry," Victini snapped. "You better not destroy my camp."

"Yes, but _can_ I destroy Scraggy?" Tepig asked.

"No," Victini said flatly.

"Okay, but what if the damage isn't physical?" Tepig asked.

"Dude, you literally knocked the evolution out of him," Victini said. "Isn't that enough?"

Tepig winked. "I'm very thorough."

"Why did that give me chills-Look!" Victini said. "You have free reign over the challenge, but no personal biases. Lucario already has immunity. We'll be back before the elimination ceremony."

"Fine, fine," Tepig said, waving the two of them off on their boat ride. As soon as they left, Tepig's face broke into a vicious smile.

"You lot thought my time in the game was finished, yeah? Well, you thought wrong."

0000

Scrafty whimpered in pain, feeling the heat of the molten rock burning into his back. He crawled back, but swore as he noticed the lava pool was right behind him.

"You're excellent at getting out of sticky situations," Tepig said, standing over him with an intense glow surrounding his body. "Who are ya going to hurt to get out of this one?"

Scrafty took deep breaths, wincing in pain at the sudden sting of his burn.

"What do you plan to do now, mate? Your back is against the wall and you have nowhere to turn. Who will have you now that you betrayed them? Nobody will want to even sit next to you after what you pulled. So, tell me? Who's going to save you from me? Who's going to save you from what you do to yourself?"

"…. your mother," Scrafty rasped.

Tepig snorted and rolled his eyes, before unleashing golden flames from his nose, and all Scrafty could feel was agonizing pain…

…

Scraggy burst awake, breathing heavily. It took him a few minutes to realize where he was. For once, the cabin was deserted.

He looked at his shaking hands and took a few breaths, feeling the memories flood back. He made sure his breathing was in check before he hopped off his bed, forgetting his legs were much smaller. He crashed to the floor.

Groaning, he rose to his feet before walking over to the restroom.

" _You're a worthless piece of shit, Scrafty. Hell, you can't even call yourself that anymore."_

He couldn't reach the sink, so he had to push a stepping stool over to prop himself up. He brushed his teeth, eyeing the mirror in front of him lazily. He hated his teeth as a Scraggy. They were so big and uneven-

" _Yeah, that's why you wanted to evolve, Shit stain. Nobody else has problems with evolving; why do you suck so much?"_

"I'll win," Scraggy muttered, finishing flossing. "I'll win and evolve, and I'll be done with the whole show."

" _Yeah? Who even cares, jackass? Nobody likes you. Good luck finding anyone even willing to tolerate you after the show is over."_

Scraggy stretched and stepped into the shower. The voice had been there so long, he had gotten good at ignoring it.

0000

"I thought you weren't into sports," Gallade said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, this is totally a different thing," Umbreon said, tossing a football up and down. "The kick off has been a family tradition for generations, so you should be _honored."_

"You hate your family," Gallade pointed out. "You've notably brought it up several times."

"How would you even notice?" Umbreon asked. "You've been a hermit until very recently."

"Speaking and listening are two very different skills," Gallade drawled.

"Look, I'm not trying to pull anything," Umbreon said, putting the ball on the ground and holding it there. "Just go and kick the football."

Gallade shrugged. "Okay I guess…why not?"

He backpedaled, preparing to make a run for it.

"Poor guy can't even see it coming," Shuckle said, sighing sadly.

Gallade broke out in a run, but Umbreon yanked the football away just as he was swinging a kick, the momentum throwing him high in the air.

"WAAAAAAAAUUUGH!" Gallade shouted, somersaulting in the air and slamming down on his back.

Umbreon broke into raucous cackles. "That is literally the oldest trick in the book, Charlie Brown."

"Owww….who the hell is Charlie Brown?" Gallade asked.

"Wait are you serious?" Umbreon asked.

"What the hell, Gallade!?" Shuckle shouted, sounding offended, looking up from the book he was reading.

 **0000**

" **I've never really been very into television," Gallade admitted, tapping a blade to his chin. "Wait….was Charlie Brown the sponge guy?"**

 **0000**

" **Okay, someone needs a cartoon marathon," Shuckle said, his features determined. "Poor guy must've had a deprived childhood."**

 **0000**

Lucario finished her jog, coming to a halt near the mailbox. She wiped some sweat off her brow and, shrugging, checked inside the one that was marked under her name.

There was a letter there.

Lucario reached for it, but was interrupted by Charizard tapping her on the shoulder.

"Hey uh…I was planning on doing some lifting and I was hoping you could spot me," he admitted.

"Oh, uh…sure…" Lucario said, telling herself she'd check the letter later. "You can help me out as well."

 **0000**

" **I'm not really one to hold grudges," Lucario admitted, rubbing her arm. "Charizard isn't so terrible when you really get to know him. Of course, I'm totally for voting him off, but the very least I can do is work out with him, yeah?"**

 **0000**

"That's twenty, Charizard. Nice!"

"Not done," Charizard said, lifting up the weight again. He loved working out. It was the only time his anger didn't control him. Rather, he felt each breath turn the anger into something productive.

"Well, don't strain yourself, dude."

"I'm not," Charizard grunted, the strain of the weight causing his tail to slap a couple of times against the floor. By the time he had finished, he had wiped himself out.

"Don't overdo it, Charizard," Lucario said, looking a little concerned. "If you bite off more than you can chew you'll just hurt yourself."

"Yeah…. fair…say, do you want to hold the sandbag for me?" Charizard asked. "I really need to punch something right now."

"All right," Lucario said, wanting him as far away from the weights as possible. She had witnessed firsthand what could happen to people who didn't know what they were doing at the gym.

Charizard smirked at the sting of pain on his fists as he punched the bag over and over. Something he could finally control.

"Wow, someone's eager," Lucario grunted, grinning a little as she held the bag steady. Charizard grinned back as he threw another punch that nearly sent her stumbling back.

Charizard punched the bag as Lucario egged him on, whaling on the thing until he saw Lucario almost lose her balance. He managed to catch her before she fell, his sweaty hand grabbing hers. Charizard stared at her a moment too long, and Lucario pulled her arm away, looking a little flustered. "Er…thanks."

"Oh I uh…. sorry," Charizard said, blushing and looking away. "I tend to bring too much power to the table."

"Hey, no harm done," Lucario said, patting him on the shoulder. "I'd better go take a shower. Good luck on the challenge today."

Charizard absentmindedly rubbed the spot on his shoulder where she had touched as he watched her leave.

 **0000**

" **Lucario's just so…easy to be around," Charizard admitted. "Working out with her has given me a chance to relax a little more and…. well, I know she's not into men, but she isn't that bad to look at either."**

 **0000**

" **Charizard seems like he needs a win, to be honest," Lucario admitted. "And even though he doesn't exactly have the best track record, I still prefer him over Scraggy. So, yeah, I'll help the guy out a little if he needs it."**

 **0000**

"Wait, so they're going on vacation?" Shuckle asked, looking through binoculars. "Does that mean the challenge is being put off?"

He was looking over at the dock, where Hariyama was dropping suitcases into one of the boats. Both he and Victini were wearing Hawaiian shirts. And then….a little out of his range was-

"Tepig!" Shuckle announced. "Tepig's on the island again!"

"I'll never be free of him, will I?" Gallade joked.

"Well, good news, we get to see Scraggy get his ass kicked by Tepig again," Umbreon chuckled. "Oh man, I can't wait to see the dude's face…"

0000

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-!"

"Oh, I've missed this place," Tepig said, wiping a tear from his eye as he watched Scraggy scream.

"Okay, you owe us one hell of an explanation," Umbreon snapped. "Why the hell would you even do that?"

Tepig sighed, looking a bit awkward. "Okay, so the deal with that is-"

"-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-"

"Shut up," Charizard said, bopping Scraggy on the head.

"I'm good," Scraggy whispered.

'Alright, look," Tepig said, raising his arms. "To be perfectly honest, no answer I could ever give you would satisfy you. I don't work like other people, and at this point? I don't even remember."

Silence.

"Wait…really? That's your answer?" Gallade asked.

"HAHAHA FUCK NO!" Tepig cackled. "How awful of an explanation that would be. No, see I did it because Scrafty is a total bitch, and because of my backstory."

"You…. you have a backstory?" Lucario asked, trying to keep up.

"Right, flashback time!" Tepig said, snapping his fingers.

"Wait wha-"

 **0000**

 _A young, sexy Tepig was seen strolling over to the refrigerator._

" _Ah, we're out of moomoo milk,"_ Tepig noted.

 **0000**

"And that's my backstory," Tepig said. "Now that I'm immortal I get all the drinks I want."

"What the hell…. just was that?" Umbreon said, dizzy.

"Oh right, flashbacks. That's my legendary duty," Tepig said. "According to the producers there haven't been enough flashbacks, so…here I am. Missed you guys though."

"And what about Minccino?" Umbreon snapped. "How does _she_ feel about this?"

She could tell instantly that she had hit a nerve. Sweat beaded Tepig's forehead, and when he responded he was a lot more testy and impatient.

"Anyway, I'm host of today's challenge," Tepig said. "And the first person who knocks out Umbreon in that gets immunity."

"You can't just-!"

"Yes, I can," Tepig said smugly. "I'm immortal now. Alright now, off with you! Time to get prepared for my lovely challenge!"

 **0000**

" **Okay, Tepig was a dick before, but now he's a legendary dick that loves rubbing it in everyone's faces," Umbreon growled.**

 **She managed a half smile. "Okay, so it wasn't** _ **awful**_ **to see him again."**

 **0000**

" **You've gotta be fucking kidding me," Scraggy hissed. "WHY WON'T HE LEAVE ME ALONE!"**

 **0000**

"Someone's twitchy now that they aren't fully evolved," Shuckle said, glaring at Scraggy. They were the slowest of the remaining cast and they were struggling to catch up with their more athletic comrades.

"Well, I'm sorry if the PTSD I got from Tepig literally punching me so hard that my physical body reverted back a stage is putting me a little on edge," Scraggy snapped. "Check your fucking privilege."

"…. Alright, you know what? That's fair," Shuckle admitted, falling silent.

"Oh, and feel free to fanboy over me now that I'm in the form that you rooted for back in Dirtbags," Scraggy said, waving his hand as if to fend off praise.

"…I hate you," Shuckle snapped.

"I know."

0000

"Oh hey, the castle," Lucario said, folding her arms. "We haven't been there in a while."

"That's right!" Tepig said, sighing. "Ah, remember that king of the hill challenge? Good times. Like when Scraggy lost to AUDINO and EEVEE!"

Shuckle snorted in laughter as Scraggy groaned, covering his face.

"Or how Shuckle contributed absolutely nothing and got punched off by Infernape!"

Shuckle immediately went silent as Scrafty snickered at him.

"Oh, and who can forget how Plusle-"

"CAN WE NOT TALK ABOUT THAT!?" Charizard snarled. "Let's move on!"

"Fine, fine!" Tepig said, raising his arms in surrender. "Let's go inside!"

"Not like we ever had a choice," Umbreon muttered.

They entered the castle, once again walking through the dark room, where the giant massive platform stood in the middle. Tepig gestured for them to form up there, and some of the contestants looked apprehensive at the bad memory.

"That burn freaking hurt!" Gallade snapped. "That challenge sucked."

"Oh….uh….sorry about that," Charizard said, scratching his arm sheepishly.

"Okay, lads and ladies!" Tepig said, floating high in the air above them. "If you'll look around you'll notice that there is plenty of equipment for you to work with!"

Gallade glanced around him, noticing baseball bats, football gear, wickets, hammers, and other random sports items. "So, what's actually the challenge?"

"Well, this is TepigBall! Only rule is that you can't use the same rule twice! Except the tuck rule. That's shit should never have been made and everyone knows it."

"Yeah, but what is the _objective?"_ Umbreon asked. "How do we play this game?"

"Oh, the objective is to entertain me," Tepig said, blinking. "Something wrong?"

"Only that we have no clue what the hell we're supposed to do," Umbreon drawled. "You want us to just do random bullshit? We don't exactly have massive imaginations for this stuff. What's the scoring system? What's preventing someone from just creating a random rule on the fly to win the game?"

Tepig blinked. "Well, as long as it's sufficiently entertaining…"

Umbreon sighed, facepalming. "Oh my god…"

"Oh, by the way!" Tepig said, snapping his fingers. "I thought it might get a bit boring with just you six, so I brought a few legendary friends! Come on out, mates!"

A dark aura filled the room, before a portal appeared right in front of the campers, who gaped as Giratina emerged, letting out a terrifying cry. Manaphy and Tapu Lele teleported into the room, a small green Pokemon sitting on top of Tapu Lele's head. An ordinary Arcanine walked after them, looking very out of place.

"I HAVE FINALLY COME TO CONQUER-…oh hey, Umbreon!" Giratina said, blushing.

"What's up, big G?" Umbreon asked with a coy grin.

"Wow, it's so weird to see so many legendary Pokemon at once," Lucario admitted, looking amazed. "Is that…Zygarde…?"

"Oh…. oh wow man…I-I didn't think I'd be this recognized," the little green Pokemon said, blushing even harder than Giratina. "Oh jeez, this is so embarrassing…."

Tepig flew in between Manaphy and Tapu Lele, grinning. "So, each of you will pair up with one of us for the challenge! Sounds like fun, eh?"

"Okay, ignoring the fact that we have no referee if YOU are playing," Shuckle said, rolling his eyes. "Since when is Arcanine a legendary Pokemon?"

"What? Arcanine is _**the**_ legendary Pokemon," Tepig said, looking affronted. "Also, quite a good drinking buddy."

"Um…Tepig, no, Arcanine is not a legendary Pokemon," Manaphy said, giving him an odd look. "Far from it, actually."

Tepig gaped at Arcanine. "You LIED to me!"

Arcanine gave a sheepish grin. "Well technically-"

"Zap!" Tepig said, snapping his fingers. Arcanine disappeared into smoke.

"Did…did you just kill him?" Gallade asked.

"Good lord, do I have to be criticized for every little thing that I do?" Tepig snapped. "Now we need a sixth legendary Pokemon."

"Dude, just call Phione," Manaphy said with a sigh.

"But…. c'mon, we're better than that!" Tepig whined.

"Just…just do it Tepig," Manaphy said with a groan.

"Fine," Tepig said, grabbing his cell and dialing a number. "Oy, Phione! How would you feel-"

Phione teleported into the room. "Wassup!"

The cast groaned. Gallade made to attack the water type but Lucario managed to hold him back.

 **0000**

" **Okay, thank Arceus for someone actually positive," Shuckle said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I've spent the past two weeks listening to Umbreon ramble on about the meaningless of life and Charizard's intolerance for illegal immigrants. Plus, I get super edgy and depressing when there's too much negative energy."**

 **0000**

"Hey guys, how have you all been?" Phione asked, waving. "Umbreon, Lucario. _Gallade."_

"Phione," Gallade spat.

"Okay, awkwardness aside," Tepig said. "We'll each pick one of you to team up with, and then we'll compete against each other."

"Hey!" Giratina said, looking offended. "That was MY thing!"

"Oh come off it. That was some other dimensional version of you," Tepig said, waving him off. "Besides, this entire story's _premise_ is ripping off a better piece of writing to begin with."

"Okay, can I pick first!?" Tapu Lele said, giggling. "Because I want Charizard!"

Charizard gulped. "Oh, uh…sure I guess."

"You're my bitch for today, Scraggy," Tepig said, chuckling.

Scraggy's eyes widened. "NO! Not again! ANYONE BUT HIM!" He tried to run, but Tepig landed on top of him and pinned a leg behind his back.

"L-lucario seems like a good choice, I guess," Zygarde mumbled. Lucario grinned and tried to brofist him, but he shrunk away in fear.

"Aww he's scared of you," Shuckle said, chuckling.

"Whaaat, that's bullshit!" Lucario said, her voice going up an octave. "I-I'm not, I'm not…..oh my god I'm not scary am I? Haha…ahaha…"

"Hey Shuckle! How about we team up!?" Phione said, shooting a bunch of finger guns.

"Not like I have a choice," Shuckle said with a smile, inside wondering how the two weakest there could possibly stand a chance against other legendaries.

"UMBREON, MY QUEEN OF THE NIGHT! JOIN ME ON MY CONQUEST TO-"

"You forgot your meds again this morning, didn't you?" Umbreon said with a groan.

"I guess I'm with you, Gallade," Manaphy said, a little apprehensive.

"I….I suppose," Gallade said, looking down.

"Alright then, everybody ready for a good old game of TepigBall?" Tepig asked.

"Okay, Tepig, something's up," Umbreon said. "It's like all your worst qualities have been exaggerated, and you're very clearly avoiding giving any explanation behind why you turned yourself into an almighty idiot."

"Oh, come on, I missed most of you!" Tepig said. "I just show affection by being a total jackass!"

"I guess we missed you too?" Gallade asked, scratching his head with blade. "You know, in a manner of speaking?"

"Yeah, man, you're weird, but I guess you coming back isn't the worst thing in the world," Shuckle admitted. "Lot quieter without you here anyway."

"Aww, see you guys love me!" Tepig said, waving them off. "We'll have to party after this is over."

"Okay, you are dodging questions like Gliscor," Umbreon snapped. "I'm settling this before-"

Tepig gulped. "T-topic change me, Phione!"

"Uh…Pineapple pizza is great!" Phione shouted.

"TRIGGERED!" screamed Shuckle.

"There, now is anyone else going to complain or can we get this started?" Tepig asked.

"Honestly, at this point I'd just drop it," Lucario said, patting Umbreon on the shoulder. "You know how stubborn he can get."

"Yeah, I know," Umbreon muttered. "Still, he's acting more toxic and self-destructive than a Weezing, and I'm getting to the bottom of this."

"Honestly," Lucario said, giving a coy smile. "I never thought you cared that much."

"Oh, you love that, don't you," Umbreon said scathingly. "Love the thought of me being an actual good person and having feelings?"

"I'll admit I do enjoy it quite a bit," Lucario said, her tone teasing. Umbreon gagged and stalked off to Giratina, who was stretching his wings in preparation.

"Hey…how well do you know Tepig?" Umbreon asked, throwing a glance behind her.

"How well do _I_ know him?" Giratina snapped. "He's my new roommate, and he's ruined the distortion world! We used to have trees there!"

"Wait, what did he do to the-"Umbreon shook her head, trying not to be distracted. "That's not important. Look, how has he been fitting in with the other legends? What has he been doing specifically?"

"Well, he's already popular among most of the fire legendaries," Giratina grumbled. "He keeps inviting them to my house DURING MY PIANO RECITALS!"

"Never mind that, sweetie," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. "Look, has he ever talked about why he wanted to become a legendary Pokemon or how he feels about it?"

Giratina thought for a moment. "Well…his girlfriend keeps calling him, but whenever she brings it up he changes the conversation."

"Damn it, I knew he was hiding something!" Umbreon groaned. "Okay, Giratina. First goal is getting immunity. Second is getting Tepig to open up so I can rub his face in his own bad decisions."

"Wow, didn't know you actually cared," Giratina said, chuckling.

"Oh, eat a dick. I can have emotions too sometimes."

"So…are you _sure_ you're a legendary Pokemon?" Lucario asked, scratching the back of her head. "I don't mean to sound rude, but Tepig screwed this up before and you don't exactly fit the bill."

"No…I'm…I'm a real legend," Zygarde said, shivering. "I just sometimes have a hard time…y'know, getting it up?"

"Getting _what_ up?" Lucario asked. "We're…talking about the same thing, right?"

"I-I don't wanna talk about it!" Zygarde shrieked, before clamming up entirely.

"Wonderful," Lucario sighed. Still, she knew she was safe from immunity so her losing wasn't too huge of a deal.

"Nice to meet a legend as esteemed as yourself," Charizard said respectfully, bowing in front of Tapu Lele.

"Ooh, handsome _and_ charming?" Tapu Lele giggled. "We're gonna get along just fine."

"Don't count on it," Charizard muttered with a sad sigh.

"What was that?"

"So, what's our plan, partner?" Phione asked, nudging Shuckle. "You gonna make with all the thinky thinky stuff you do?"

Shuckle shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. We're pretty outclassed here…. but I'm sure I'll come up with _something."_

"Okay, bitch," Tepig said, patting Scraggy on the back hard enough to throw him off balance. "You do everything I say and I might not light you on fire."

"Fine," Scraggy hissed. "But only because I need the immunity."

"Right then," Tepig said. "Everyone get into positions!"

"…What positions?" Gallade asked. "We still have no idea where the hell we're supposed to go."

"Just go wherever you want!" Tepig snapped. "I've already explained the rules of TepigBall."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, something about the tuck rule. That still isn't-"

"Well, you'll get into it! Come on then!"

 **0000**

" **This was a** _ **weird**_ **challenge," Gallade said, shivering.**

 **0000**

"So, who's going to be referee?" Lucario asked.

"I am," Tepig said, as though confused by the question.

"But…you're playing."

"So?"

Lucario opened her mouth to respond, before thinking better of it.

The campers and their legendaries took their places on the platform, making sure to put some space between them. They stared at the bright red ball in the center. Apparently the challenge would be centered around that.

Tepig dragged Scraggy over to the center, before holding up a whistle.

"Alright! Mates! Get ready to score them goals!"

"Wait," Shuckle said. "Goals? What-"

Tepig blew the whistle.

Umbreon hopped on Giratina's back and the dragon took to the sky, letting out a terrifying scream. Lucario charged forward with Zygarde clutching her shoulder, brandishing a hockey stick. Phione and Shuckle scrambled out of the way of Charizard and Tapu Lele, who were decked out in football gear. Gallade met Lucario, tonfas slamming against hockey stick, as Scraggy was kicked by Tepig hard enough to slam into Manaphy.

Tapu Lele was the first to get to the red ball, lifting it up with her psychic powers and running off with it, twirling around Phione as he moved to grab her, spinning around and chucking it at Scraggy, bouncing the ball off his head.

"Ooh, the Easter Head Bounce wins Tapu Lele twelve points!" Tepig said, ducking a jet of water sent by Manaphy.

"Yeah, but what DOES THAT MEAN, JACKASS!?" Umbreon snarled.

"Ooh, and Umbreon's lip costs her forty five points!" Tepig shouted, snapping his fingers. "Right now Charizard and Tapu Lele are in the lead!"

Gallade feinted, aiming a slice at Lucario, but the jackal managed to dodge the move and smack Gallade in the face with the butt of her hockey stick.

"Damn," Gallade said, hissing in pain. "You've certainly improved."

Lucario twirled the hockey stick like a bo staff, giving a coy smirk. "I've been training."

Meanwhile, Manaphy managed to gain control of the ball, quickly kicking poor Zygarde out of the way and running towards a goal that seemingly appeared out of thin air.

"Wait, so this is soccer?" Shuckle asked, crawling in front of the goal. "Okay, so I can understand-"

Manaphy kicked it up to her hands, before dribbling the ball up to the net.

"Wait, that's not how-"

Manaphy tossed the ball aside before kicking _Shuckle_ into the net, where it erupted into flames.

"Wow, a bold move by Manaphy! Enough points to put you in the lead!" Tepig announced.

"Okay this is bullshit," Umbreon snapped. "At this rate we should just attack indiscriminately and hope we get points."

"Fine by me!" Giratina snarled, slamming on the center of the platform and letting loose blue flames. Tapu Lele managed to block it with a barrier, but the others weren't so lucky. Gallade and Lucario went flying, Charizard stumbled, and while Scraggy managed to avoid the fire, Giratina's tail slapped him hard enough to send him spinning.

"Giratina and Umbreon win quite a few points from that display! But now it's time for a change in pace! Everyone must now hop on one foot!"

"Wait, what?" Shuckle asked, but the others were already hopping as they ran for the ball.

"Ooh, and Shuckle loses points for not getting with the program. Meanwhile, Manaphy managed to get control of the red ball. Points to her if she can keep control of it."

Manaphy was easily dodging around Phione, holding the red ball in a lacrosse stick. She kicked her son away, before narrowly avoiding a moon blast sent by Tapu Lele.

"Is this because of that lederhosen incident?" Manaphy asked, as the two psychics traded blows. "Because I apologized for that!"

Scraggy sprinted forward, jumping high in the air, aiming a sucker punch just as Tapu Lele was aiming a moonblast. As he closed in, Tapu Lele's eyes flitted towards him.

"Sorry hon, but my ability is psychic surge."

Scraggy swore, realizing his blunder just as Tapu Lele spun, shooting the moon blast at point blank range. Scraggy was was once again sent flying, this time soaring over a field goal post that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Wow, good on you, Tapu Lele!" Tepig chuckled. "That field goal earned you three points! But I'll add four more because I do not care for Scraggy."

The exchange had given Manaphy enough time to break away, only for Lucario to kick her lacrosse stick out of her hands. She got into a fighting stance, grinning.

"I've always wanted to fight a real legendary," Lucario said, charging an aura sphere. "You better not disappoint me."

"Oh, believe me, you won't be the one disappointed!" Manaphy snapped, divine power playing in her fingertips.

 **0000**

" **Asinine challenge," Charizard grumbled, covered in bandages.**

 **0000**

" _Hey, man, do you have to wake us up this late?" a tired Slakoth asked. "I know you're pretty high strung…but I was just having this amazing dream…"_

" _Alright, alright, I'm sorry," Scraggy said, waving his arms in surrender. "I get a little overexcited about these types of things; I'm sorry."_

 _A Piplup was strumming a guitar, giving Scraggy a curious look. "What did you call us for, Scraggy?"_

" _Well, you know me," Scraggy admitted, letting out a yawn. "I've been pretty stressed out. I was just wondering…maybe we could all work together?"_

" _Work together!?" Slakoth said, looking shocked. "B-but….I thought alliances were for total jerks!"_

" _But we're not jerks, are we?" Scraggy said. "Look, we've seen all the assholes in this competition. Malamar, Galvantula, Kommo-o. All of them are way more powerful than us and have a mean streak a mile wide."_

" _Good point," Piplup admitted. "We don't have nearly as much of a chance at winning as some of the others."_

" _And it's not like we'll target anyone!" Scraggy exclaimed. "We're just a bunch of pre-evolutions who know that we can trust each other, working just to get through the game."_

" _Oh," Slakoth said. "You really think you can trust us?"_

" _Duh," Scraggy said. "The name of the game was Total Pokemon Dirtbags, and I get that the gimmick was that everyone was supposed to be a shitty person, but none of us are so bad! Slakoth, you may have a bit of an eating problem-"_

" _Only a problem when I run out," Slakoth said over a bite of the tuna sandwich he was eating._

" _Dónde diablos were you hiding that thing?" Piplup asked, stunned._

 _Scraggy coughed, getting their attention again. "And Piplup, you may sort of be a con artist-"_

" _The word 'con artist' has such negative connotations these days," Piplup tutted._

" _-But you're a nice guy. And I was framed for what I was put in this show for," Scraggy added as an afterthought. "Look, point is, we totally deserve to win more than most of the jerks out for themselves. We can work together as friends!"_

" _Well, I'm in," Piplup said, playing a little Spanish jingle on his guitar. "Alliances will certainly get further into the game. We'll be the three musketeers!"_

" _I guess I'm in too then," Slakoth said with a shrug. "This could be fun!"_

" _Great," Scraggy said, rubbing his hands together. "We'll be known as Team Everstone, because we won't evolve and we won't have to!"_

 _As the trio cheered Scraggy closed his eyes. When he opened them…_

"Ah!" Scraggy said, rolling to his feet on impulse. He glanced at Tepig, who was watching him impassively. "Wh-what the hell was that?"

"Flashback," Tepig said, shrugging. "I have that ability now. Pretty convenient for character development and worldbuilding.

Scraggy took a couple deep breaths, grabbing a cigarette and beginning to smoke. _Oh what the hell are you doing? Each one of those you take kills you a little more. I wonder if what'll happen first, will you destroy everyone in your life or will you destroy yourself?_

"Now come on, mate!" Tepig said, throwing Scraggy forward. "If you want to win then you better pull your weight!"

"Fine, stop mind raping me and I'll get to it!" Scraggy snarled, running back into the action.

Manaphy was throwing shields of water to deflect Lucario's attacks, but the jackal was putting up a surprisingly good fight, bobbing and weaving around Manaphy's water moves.

A psychic force suddenly slammed Lucario and Manaphy together, knocking them out. Tapu Lele snatched up the ball once more, giggling as she jumped on top, bouncing up and down.

"Ooh, every bounce earns her a point!" Tepig shouted, even as he shot a jet of fire. Tapu Lele dodged, but a second later Giratina landed on top of her, before beating his wings to create an ominous wind.

"Ow! Hey, penalty! He came at me from a diagonal direction!" Tapu Lele said.

"What? THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Giratina snapped.

Tepig blew his whistle. "Tough shit, mate, you need to go sit in the penalty box for the next five minutes."

Letting out a stream of curses, Giratina stomped over to the penalty box.

Phione ran for the ball, whooping madly, but Gallade struck out of nowhere, a deadly gleam in his eye.

"Oh man, he still has a grudge!" Phione said, using Shuckle's tough shield as a shield against Gallade's vicious blows.

"Dance for me!" Gallade hissed, his blades moving in deadly arcs.

"This is demeaning!" Was Shuckle's muffled reply.

The distraction was enough for Umbreon to slip by, and she grabbed the ball in her mouth. She managed to catch Tepig by surprise by kicking him in the back of the head, and then tossed the ball in the air. Swinging a tennis racket, she served the ball over the tennis net that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Oh no you don't!" Charizard growled, smacking the ball back. Umbreon and Charizard began to volley, the ball being hit back and forth across the court until it lit on fire.

Umbreon sprinted forward, performing a flip before slamming the ball down into Charizard's stomach, bouncing off and into Umbreon's paw.

"Umbreon gets points for that!" Tepig announced as he rushed forward, throwing a roundhouse kick that smashed Umbreon into Scraggy and Manaphy.

Gallade finally gained the upper hand, kicking Shuckle hard enough to send Phione sprawling behind him. Turning, he sprinted towards Tepig, who was urging him forward.

"Oh please, I'm immortal," Tepig said, folding his arms. "What do you think _you_ can do-"

Gallade kicked Tepig in the air, before launching a myriad of psycho cuts after him, exploding on impact. Gallade closed his eyes and cocked his head, listening. When he heard Tepig's squeal of pain he gave a morbid grin.

 **0000**

" **Almighty idiot or not," Gallade said, folding his arms. "Tepig is still Tepig."**

 **0000**

The ball fell free. Gallade's eye gleamed as he reached for it, but a string shot wrapped around it and yanked it back.

"Ahaha!" Shuckle shouted, snatching the ball. "I got it!"

It exploded in his face.

Shuckle went flying as the campers noticed red balls popping out everywhere. None of the campers were willing to get close enough to touch, and soon Tepig was up and dusting himself off.

"Only one is the real ball!" Tepig shouted. "Touch the wrong one and you'll catch a nasty case of explosives!"

It was Tapu Lele that had the idea, tossing the balls with her psychic powers. The balls detonated upon impact, knocking back Manaphy and Lucario. Scraggy managed to roll out of an explosion's path, but looked up to meet Gallade's kick on collision course with his head. He ducked, sliding back.

"I've wanted a crack at you for a while now," Gallade spat, launching himself forward. Before he could close the distance, however, Tepig announced that Giratina had served his time and could now compete again.

"YES!" Giratina screeched, taking flight. Umbreon threw him a grin as he set off an ominous wind that detonated all the remaining balls, shooting up bursts of dust and sending campers flying.

Gallade flew off the platform, but he managed to drive his tonfa into the side of the platform before he could tumble below. Manaphy teleported in front of him, creating a shield of water.

"Close shave," she muttered, blocking Giratina's blasts of power.

"He's too powerful," Gallade muttered. "Not that I can follow anything that's going on, but we stand no chance of winning with him at large."

"I may have a plan…" Manaphy said slowly. "But you'll need to distract him."

"Oh joy," Gallade drawled.

"Just don't let him see what I'm up to!" Manaphy warned, channeling energy. "Don't get yourself killed!"

Gallade sighed but sprinted forward, past a bewildered Charizard, who was in possession of the ball. He lunged at Giratina, his blades morphed into vicious shadow claws.

Giratina's reflexes were quick enough to avoid the brunt of the attack, but Gallade _just_ managed to scrape him with the edge of his blade.

"Ow!" Giratina screeched, before letting loose a blast powerful enough to send Gallade flying into the Field Goal post, knocking it down with him.

What the hell was the idiotic swordsmen even trying to accomplish? Giratina snorted, shaking his head. Unless…

"No!" Giratina shouted, but Manaphy already threw her hands forward, launching the outline of a heart that Giratina was unable to dodge.

It did….absolutely nothing?

"Oh come on mate, that's weak!" Tepig said, punching Tapu Lele out without even paying attention.

"Are you okay, Giratina?" Umbreon asked, darting over.

Giratina's eyes met Umbreon's, before the renegade Pokemon swung his tail, catching the poor fox in the chest and sending her flying.

"No!" Manaphy shrieked. "How dare you!"

"Heart swap, bitches!" Giratina cackled. "Giratina and I switched bodies."

"Now THAT'LL earn you some points!" Tepig said. "Gallade and Manaphy are in the lead with all the points they've been netting."

Giratina charged forward, letting out blasts of energy. Charizard managed to dive out of the way, leaving Scraggy staring awestruck at the sight of the terrifying Pokemon looming over him.

 _Dodge the attack, idiot!_ Scraggy felt himself blacking out again. _Wait, not now! Not here! Tepig I swear to god I will KILL YOUR ASS-_

0000

" _You feeling okay there, buddy?" Forretress asked, leaning back in his chair and smoking a cigar. "You seem even more jittery than usual."_

" _Yeah, well Slakoth almost got voted off again," Scraggy snapped. "I can't rest for one second."_

" _You want some help?" Forretress offered. "Some advice?"_

" _Yeah right, I don't take help," Scraggy snapped. "Especially from a cast that will take advantage of me the second I become vulnerable."_

 _Forretress winked. "Never said I'd be the one giving it to you. Come sit next to me and have a smoke."_

 _Scraggy hesitated. "And get addicted to it?"_

 _Forretress chuckled. "Look, just humor me, okay?"_

 _Scraggy shrugged, before relaxing into the chair next to Forretress. In a few minutes, he was coughing out smoke and cursing the bug type for talking him into it._

 _Forretress chuckled again. "You just need to get used to it. Once you do? You feel all your stresses and fears melt away. It'll help you be productive without wasting a bunch of nervous energy. Nicotine is also pretty addictive, as you've said, so be careful."_

 _Scraggy set the cigar down, promising he'd never try it again. "…What's your plan for the game, Forretress?"_

 _Forretress somehow shrugged, despite the lack of shoulders. "Keep plugging along. Try not to make any enemies. Do well in challenges. It's worked so far."_

" _Pretty simple way of thinking," Scraggy said with a nod. "I wish I was more like that."_

" _There are strengths and weaknesses," Forretress said. "As long as you keep yourself productive, then you can use your mind to your advantage, yeah?"_

" _Yeah…" Scraggy muttered. "Say, how do you smoke anyway?"_

" _Pardon?"_

" _I mean, you don't have a mou-you know what? Never mind."_

When Scraggy came to, he could feel the weight of something heavy on his chest. He swore, wincing under the field goal post.

"Oh come on, mate!" Tepig said, shaking his head. "Take it off! Not that hard."

"I-I….shut up!" Scraggy roared, trying and failing to pull it off him. "I'm trying!"

 _Not hard enough, asshole! You could have done it as a Scrafty._

"You could've done it as a Scrafty!" Tepig shouted. "The longer you take the more points I deduct!"

Scraggy winced and tried to push it off him, but he didn't have the strength. Tears of frustration were beginning to line his face.

"Oh my-ARE YOU ACTUALLY CRYING?" Tepig chortled.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Scraggy screamed. _Leave yourself alone._

 **0000**

 **Gallade grinned. "Okay, I know some of us are going through some edgy shit, but all honesty? Flying around on dragon Satan and causing mayhem everywhere is pretty fucking fun."**

 **0000**

"Say uncle!" Manaphy growled, stepping on Charizard with Giratina's body.

"U-uncle!" Charizard shouted, barely able to breathe. "J-just take the ball and go!"

"Good boy!" Giratina said, kicking the ball with his feet and releasing Charizard, who rolled on his side, retching. Tapu Lele ran over, helping Charizard up and teleporting away to gain some distance.

Meanwhile, Gallade was throwing psycho cuts from Giratina's back, the psychic attacks raining down on the campers and legendary. Phione and Shuckle were hit hard and went flying, while Lucario was forced to bob and weave to avoid the onslaught.

"You're mine!" Gallade hissed, aiming two more blasts. Lucario launched an aura sphere in retaliation and the attacks collided in the air. She backflipped, ducking behind cover; a maze had apparently been brought up out of nowhere, confusing the contestants even further.

"Okay, it's not like I hate doing all the work," Lucario said, wiping the sweat off her brow. "But legendaries are a bit too much. Look, can you offer ANY support at all?"

"Oh…jeez, I don't know," Zygarde said, shivering. "I hate fighting or you know…. actually, talking to people."

"I can read auras, and yours is telling me that you just pissed yourself." Lucario sighed, rubbing her hair. "If I win this challenge, I'm guaranteed the top four. So if you can offer anything…"

"Uh well…. there is one thing I GUESS I can do," Zygarde said. "But I get REALLY mean in that form so you can't hold it against me!"

"I won't!" Lucario said, looking offended. "Partially because this maze is on fire and we could die if we stay in here much longer."

"O-ohkay," Zygarde said, steeling his nerves. "Here goes nothing."

0000

Manaphy and Gallade were clearly dominating the competition, launching attacks and thinking up brilliant ways to score points, including a ping pong contest, using Phione as a basketball to shoot three pointers, and…burping the alphabet? So far only Tepig was putting up a good fight against the guy, while Giratina in Manaphy's body _tried,_ Giratina would knock him down without a second glance. Shuckle and Phione were hiding, and Tapu Lele was doing her best to heal Charizard's injuries. Umbreon hadn't gotten up yet, and Scraggy was still pinned under the goal post.

"Hurry up, Scraggy!" Tepig shouted as he narrowly avoided a chaotic blast. "Your points will be in the negatives at this rate."

"Are you feeling okay?" Tapu Lele asked, looking Charizard over.

"Yeah, you healed me up good," Charizard said curtly. "But if we want even close to a chance at winning we'll need to-"

"NOT YET, BITCH!" Came a loud voice.

Giratina spun around staring in horror as Zygarde rose, his body now resembling a titan. Lucario was sitting on his shoulder, grinning at Gallade.

"Ready for a rematch?"

Gallade grinned back. "You're a good friend, Lucario. But I won't hesitate to knock you on your ass."

"Zygarde?" Giratina gasped in surprise. "You're actually going to fight?"

"LESS OF A FIGHT THAN A POUNDING, BITCH!" Zygarde screamed.

"Monster fight! Monster fight!" Tepig shouted. "Rules of TepigBall have changed. Place your bets, gentlemen!"

"Wait, we aren't even competing anymore?" Charizard asked.

"Sure, you are! By betting your points on a winner. Course you could refuse to participate and I'll give them to Scraggy- "

"I'll bet twenty points on Giratina," Charizard said quickly.

"Smart lad."

Giratina flew forward, claws outstretched, but Zygarde retaliated by punching her in the face. Giratina slid back, howling in pain, while Zygarde kicked the ground to create a earthquake. Wings outstretched, Giratina took to the sky to avoid the powerful attack.

"Wow, this is awesome!" Lucario shouted, applauding the Order Pokemon. "Keep up the good work!"

Giratina frowned, before vanishing instantly.

"I…I can't sense him!" Lucario shouted. "It's like he- "

Giratina appeared behind Zygarde, the shadow force knocking him down to his knees. Gallade dove off swinging his blades at Lucario, who threw up her bone rush at the last second to block.

"AGH! GET OF ME BITCH!" Zygarde snarled, kicking Giratina away. Gallade and Lucario were meeting with vicious clangs, and Tepig's expression of excitement was eventually replaced with curiosity.

"Hold on a minute," he whispered, looking over Gallade and Lucario. "Yeah…..yeah! I got it!"

He flew over to Gallade and Lucario, pushing them apart. He snapped his fingers, and bass guitars appeared in their hands. "You two are going to have a bass battle, because your chemistry is lovely and I want to add music to that shit."

"But, my scythes will cut the- "

"Play it with your psychic powers, Bogan!" Tepig snapped. "Honestly, stop blue balling and give me a good show! Giratina and Zygarde, you get back to killing each other."

Lucario and Gallade shrugged, before beginning to play, the odd power of the legendary instruments creating shock waves that collided as Zygarde and Giratina clashed once more.

 **0000**

 **Umbreon held an ice pack to her head. "Asinine fucking challenge."**

 **0000**

"THIS MUSIC MAY BE JAMMING BUT THAT WON'T STOP ME FROM TEARING YOU APART, BITCH!"

"God," Shuckle said from behind his hiding spot. "Does he end every sentence he says with the word bitch?"

"He has some issues," Phione said, shrugging. "Still, I feel like we're doing REALLY good in this challenge!

"Dude, we're literally the only team that hasn't managed to win ANY points at all," Shuckle grumbled. "In case you've noticed, we're kinda screwed here."

"I thought you were going to think of a plan," Phione asked, an innocent smile on his face.

Shuckle sighed. "Touché. I guess I'll figure out something, but…"

"Is something wrong?" Phione asked.

"I guess I'm just tired of being the 'plan' guy," Shuckle admitted. "I've spent the entire game relying on other people…if I want to win, for once I want to do the heavy lifting."

"Relying on people isn't bad…," Phione said mildly.

"I know, but it's time I started pulling my own weight, instead of relying on everyone else to be my legs, or the person pushing the wagon," Shuckle said. "I had a conversation with Lucario, and while I still want to win with all that I am…. I'm tired of doing it at the expense of others. The end doesn't justify the means, and I don't want to win by being a Scrafty or a Carbink."

"Well, I support you dude," Phione said. "Win in your own Shuckle way."

Shuckle took a deep breath. "I need to be more balanced... hey Phione, can you play bass?"

"Uh…I know the opening to a really sweet Attack On Titan opening theme remix?" Phione said with a giggle.

"Well that's something I guess," Shuckle admitted. "Hopefully you can at least hold your own in the bass battle while I'll see to the legendary Pokemon."

"But how, Shuckle?" Phione asked, his eyes wide. "In terms of power you don't even stand a chance!"

Shuckle hesitated. "There is one trump card I have…. but it's REALLY risky…."

"Well, shoot, dude!" Phione said.

"I know the move Power Trick," Shuckle said, glancing from side to side to ensure that nobody was listening. "When used, it swaps my offensive and defensive stats. Because my physical defense stat is through the roof, when I use Power Trick I gain incredible physical power. But, well…I'm sure you can see the Achilles heel in that."

"Is it that you grow super buff and sweaty?" Phione whispered.

"I miss Bidoof," Shuckle said sadly. "No, the move basically switches my abysmal attack stat with my incredible defenses. I may hit like a truck on fire, but if one physical attack hits me…. I'm screwed."

"But you're so slow!" Phione said. "How can you possibly keep up with legendary Pokemon!"

"Question of the day, I'm afraid," Shuckle said with a sigh. "I don't know what could give me a chance to maneuver around them…"

"Well, don't worry!" Phione said, playing an air guitar in his hands. "Hopefully my cool Attack On Titan music will inspire you to move twice as quickly!"

"Well, we'll…. wait, Attack on Titan…." Shuckle said, lost in thought, before his eyes widened.

"Phione, you're a genius!"

 **0000**

 **Shuckle grinned. "Old Shuckle is back, baby! Ready to play it his way!"**

 **0000**

Scraggy groaned in pain, once again losing the feelings of his arms before dropping the post on his stomach. Scraggy let out a gasp that enticed Tepig enough to come over.

"Come on mate…. it's not that hard," he whispered. "You need to learn how to get out of this. Alternatively, you could ask for help."

"No!" Scraggy winced. "I don't need….it…."

"Well, we're at an impasse then, aren't we?" Tepig said, regarding Scraggy with golden arms. "if you don't ask, you have to solve the problem by yourself. Commit to it, mate."

"I'm trying!" Scraggy hissed, before feeling the beginnings of a flashback that he had groan to loath.

"No…not this again…...!"

" _Please, Scraggy," Piplup pleaded. "Change their minds. I know you can. We can all get into the top three together."_

 _Scraggy hesitated. "But what if they turn on me instead?"_

" _Look amigo, I hate to be the guy that says this, but you've been pretty withdrawn and selfish lately," Piplup said. "And you've grown super distant…"_

" _Look, I know, but this is separate," Scraggy snapped. "I'm sorry, I'll still vote with you, but…"_

" _I understand you Scraggy," Piplup said, taking a deep breath. "I understand how much stress you've had. I keep finding cigarettes all around the cabin, and you actually look like you've lost weight. Just…you can pull yourself out of this. We can work together and split the money fairly, just like before."_

" _I…. okay," Scraggy said after a minute. "I won't abandon you. I couldn't have even made it this far if it weren't for you."_

" _Same for me dude," Piplup said, clapping him on the back. "I'll go see if I can net a couple votes. You talk to Yanmega. We both know he'll listen to what you have to say."_

 _He ran off, leaving Scraggy standing off to himself. He paused for a moment, before lighting another cigarette._

0000

Umbreon stumbled to her feet, rubbing her head. "The hell did I miss?"

She looked up at the scene in front of her. Zygarde and Giratina were shooting blasts at each other, and Lucario and Gallade's faces were beaded with perspiration as they played their bass guitars, the sound waves strong enough to shatter Umbreon's delicate eardrums.

She walked over to Charizard and Tapu Lele, who were sipping moomoo milk. "What, did you guys give up?"

"Nah," Tapu Lele said. "Tepig said that we're supposed to bet on a winner and that we'll get points if the one we pick wins. Plus, you know. Don't really want to get involved in that."

"Fair enough," Umbreon said, plopping down. Charizard tossed her another moomoo bottle.

Tepig walked over. "And this still continues to be a close match! Lucario may suck at playing bass, but so does Gallade! But it seems Zygarde has Giratina in a headlock! Is this the end?"

"HOW DOES IT FEEL TO LOSE TO ME, BITCH?" Zygarde roared, tightening his grip around Giratina's neck, both dragons still thrashing and desperate for control.

Lucario and Gallade were playing, but faltered when they heard a third tune being played. Phione began to float high in the air, bass in hand.

"What the…." Gallade muttered as Phione played an intense theme. "What is he….?"

"Wait…is that theme of Attack on Titan?" Lucario asked, arching a brow.

"How do _you_ know that?" Gallade asked.

Before Lucario could respond, a String Shot flew between their heads, attaching to the wall behind them. Lucario and Gallade spun around in surprise.

"S _ind Sie das Essen und wir sind die Jäger!"_ Shuckle shouted as he zipped forward, spinning around Zygarde and striking him at the nape of his neck. Zygarde collapsed instantly, while Giratina let out a deep breath and launched an attack. Shuckle, however, had fired another string shot that zipped him away before the blast could make contact.

"You don't fuckle with Shuckle, bitch!" Shuckle cackled, taunting the fallen Zygarde as he flew around Giratina.

"How…..how was he able to…so easily…" Giratina muttered, looking shocked.

"He…the bastard used Power Trick to push his attack stat to immeasurable amounts!" Gallade roared. "Still, my psycho cuts do physical damage! I'll knock the little shit out!"

"Woop woop woop!" Shuckle shouted in his best Zoidberg impression as he twirled around the psycho cuts and launched another String Shot to quickly change directions, while the tune Phione was playing took control of the stadium.

0000

 _Scraggy walked over to Yanmega's gang, feeling a lump in his throat. The bug himself regarded him with a curious expression._

" _I was wondering if we could talk," Scraggy said, rubbing his arm._

" _I'm assuming this is about Piplup," Yanmega drawled, reading Scraggy like a book._

" _Yeah," Scraggy said, looking down._

" _I'm going to be blunt, he's leaving tonight," Yanmega said. "You came here to convince me not to, but I'm afraid you'll fail."_

" _But-"_

" _No buts. Of course, you have the option of working against me," Yanmega said, shrugging. "Who knows? Maybe you could keep him safe, even. For what…a day? A week at the most? No, the only thing that isn't inevitable is the fact that you could become my enemy."_

" _I don't…I don't want it to come to that," Scraggy said in a pleading tone. "If you'd just-"_

" _Look, I like Piplup. He's a nice guy, and I wish him well," Yanmega said. "But the longer he's in the game means the less chance I have at winning. If I can't use him then there's no use for him here. You, however, are different. Play your cards right, and you will have a good chance at actually winning the game. Don't waste your time on him."_

 _Scraggy squirmed uncomfortably. Yanmega regarded him coldly._

" _I know what decision you're going to make, because I know the person you are. That voice you have that tells you that you're complete and utter shit? Listen to it, because it's right. It's what I did, and you are so much like me. No matter what, you'll be a selfish piece of shit, but at least you'll be a rich selfish piece of shit when you win instead of lying to yourself."_

 _Scraggy looked like he wanted to say something, but looked down, ashamed._

" _See, you're already beginning to expect it." Yanmega patted Scraggy on the shoulder. "I'll talk to you once the penguin is off the island."_

 _He left with his friends, once again leaving Scraggy by himself._

Scraggy took deep breaths, beginning to struggle to breathe under the weight of the goal post. _See what always happens? No matter what you do, you can't change. You'll always cause problems, and no matter how shitty you feel after, you'll always keep returning to your old roots. Your friends, your addictions, even your fucking evolution. Slakoth, Forretress, Piplup, Yanmega, Gliscor, Sableye, Audino, Munchlax, Bidoof, Zorua. Look at what you ruin? Who's next? Who's going to be the next person that you destroy-"_

"You're doing it wrong, mate," Tepig said in a soft voice.

"I-I don't-" Scraggy mumbled.

"Key is breathing when it comes to lifting," Tepig said with a shrug. "That's thing about people who smoke. Don't know how to breathe properly."

"O-okay," Scraggy mumbled. "I'll breathe."

He tightened his stomach and began to lift it up, but while he was firm and stable, his arms were shaking horribly. He let out a gasp of pain.

"Come on!" Tepig said, an edge to his tone. "Break limits if you have to! You're not your strongest until you've fought at your weakest!"

Scraggy closed his eyes, perfectly calm. What did change even mean?

Scraggy let out a roar as he glowed with an intense power, feeling his muscles tighten, and with a final grunt, threw the post off him. He rolled to his side, taking a deep breath.

"There we go," Tepig said, applauding. "Knew you'd get there."

"Huh," Scrafty said, looking over his evolved body. "What do you know? So, all that belittling only served to help me evolve again?"

"Bah, I felt guilty," Tepig said, waving a hand. "Punching someone so hard that they devolve is the slightest bit traumatizing."

"I'm assuming that's the closest thing I'm ever getting to an apology," Scrafty drawled. "Now, can I get back to the challenge? I'm literally in the negatives in terms of points because my pre- evolution was a little bitch."

Still…It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off his chest, no pun intended. He came to that same conclusion he did when he talked to Yanmega; he may never be a good person, but he could accept that. Guilt was just a side effect to a drug he was doing; it'd go away eventually.

"Look, I AM sorry," Tepig admitted. "Even though you're a total ass, you didn't deserve that, and I know that I'm not the best at expressing my true feelings-"

"Save it for your girlfriend," Scrafty said coldly, pushing him away. "I've been gone for long enough. It's time to nip this challenge in the bud."

 **0000**

" **Just keep moving forward," Scrafty muttered, a cigarette in hand. "Regret never helped anyone."**

 **0000**

Giratina howled as Shuckle landed the finishing blow, still shouting like a maniac. Gallade tumbled off her back and had to be helped up by Lucario.

"You know, he's either a genius or a lunatic," Lucario said with a chuckle, looking up as Manaphy and Tapu Lele tried to run from Shuckle's terrifying wrath.

"Eh, might be both," Gallade said, folding his arms. "Certainly, a thin line…"

"Okay, I give up on the challenge," Umbreon said, stretching. "It's dumb and boring and I want to go home. Shuckle took out two legendaries; can we go home?"

"But dudes! I'm only eight minutes in!" Phione shouted.

"Phione, you've been playing that sound on loop FIVE TIMES ALREADY!" Umbreon shouted.

Manaphy let out a shriek as she fell, before Shuckle launched towards Tapu Lele. The psychic threw up a barrier, but Shuckle smashed through, topping Tapu Lele.

"Alright, who's next!" Shuckle shouted, grinning like an idiot. "This is awesome, I really need to watch this show- "

Scrafty's kick slammed into him, and Shuckle winced at the move that his powerful red shell normally would have deflected. He crashed to the ground, moaning in pain, before Scrafty grabbed him by the neck.

"Miss me?" Scrafty asked, giving Shuckle a grin.

"Not…. really?" Shuckle asked, all of his energy completely gone. "I kind of hate you."

"Sorry to keep you waiting, but I just wanted to tell you," Scrafty said, closing his free hand into a fist. "No matter what happens, I'll always be here to screw you over."

With a grunt he punched Shuckle hard in the face, and the smaller Pokemon collapsed. "So, considering everyone else has pretty much given up, I take it I get to win by default?"

Shuckle rubbed his new black eye but managed a grin. "Well, look behind you."

Scrafty raised an eyebrow, turning around to see Phione split into multiple copies of himself, all surrounding the hoodlum.

"Shit," Scrafty said as they all charged him as one, but Shuckle's cleverly placed sticky web tripped him, and in the next instant, the Phione were on top of him.

"Yeah!" Shuckle said, looking at his reflection and wincing at the sight of his face. "Kick the shit out of him!"

"Whoa, alright mate!" Tepig said, separating the Phione. "Let's not go overboard."

"Absolutely rich, coming from you," Scrafty hissed.

"Okay so I may have zoned out for the last twenty minutes of the game," Tepig admitted. "But uh…I'll declare Phione and Shuckle the winners because they beat the shit out of everyone. Challenge is over, hope you had fun!"

"Worst challenge ever, am I right Umbreon?" Gallade asked, but Umbreon was walking after Tepig. "Umbreon?"

 **0000**

" **I wonder who's going home this time?" Lucario asked. "I mean I know** _ **I'M**_ **safe for the night, and so is Shuckle, but I feel like anyone could leave at this point. Personally, I'm thinking it'll be either Charizard or Scrafty. They're the two least popular here, at any rate."**

 **0000**

" **Am I screwed? Probably?" Charizard asked. "But if I can appeal to a few others to pick Scrafty over me…"**

 **00000**

" **Unless I'm very much mistaken, I know who's going home next," Scrafty boasted, winking at the camera. "Enjoy some dramatic television, viewers, courtesy of Scrafty."**

 **0000**

"Why the long face, Shuckle?" Gallade asked. "You won immunity."

"No, Phione did," Shuckle said glumly. "And sure I'm happy, but I had something to do by myself, you know?"

"Shuckle, you knocked out two _legendary_ Pokemon," Gallade said. "I'm pretty sure that qualifies as pulling your weight."

"I guess that's fair," Shuckle admitted. "But still, that was a gimmick, not a true skill. And you saw the downsides. Scrafty beat me….again."

"You've been in your own head too much," Gallade remarked. "Believe me…. I-I know better than anyone what that's like. You begin to go insane with paranoia. Being reflective is helpful…but...there needs to be a balance. It'll lead to paranoia."

"How did you do that, Gallade?" Shuckle asked. "You were such a loner at the beginning of the game and now you're being more social and cracking jokes…"

"Well, besides Grovyle and that dumb book," Gallade said. "The answer is you and your friends, idiot."

"Huh?" Shuckle asked.

"I know we never really interacted, but I never felt uncomfortable around you guys," Gallade admitted. "You always were so…. honest and open about yourselves and it…. inspired me in a way."

He paused. "I've never told anybody that."

Shuckle grinned. "Wow, that's uh….flattering. I um…always thought you were cool with your warrior mentality and the loner persona. Honestly, you probably inspired the way I acted today."

"I see."

"So um…after this, maybe you want to watch a movie with me or something?" Shuckle blushed, realizing the way he sounded. "Not like a date, obviously but…"

"Assuming I'm not eliminated tonight, sure," Gallade said, shrugging. "Just…. please don't make it 3D."

 **0000**

" **Okay, weird ass friendship," Shuckle admitted. "But you know…it's good to kick back for a while instead of constant strategy 101."**

 **0000**

Charizard and Lucario were walking back to camp, stretching their sore muscles. Lucario was listening to music on her phone. Charizard looked awkward, but patted her on the shoulder.

"Hmm?" Lucario asked, glancing up and pulling out her earphones.

"I uh...just wanted to say…" Charizard hesitated before shaking his head. No good would come out of it. "Do you want to keep working out together? Er, in the mornings I mean."

"Of course," Lucario said, punching him on the shoulder. "Hell, I was planning to do some core training in a bit. You can join me if you want."

"That'd be great," Charizard said, giving her a genuine smile. "And uh…thank you Lucario. For giving me another chance."

"You _said_ you apologized," Lucario said with a shrug. "And you're a lot more down to earth and humble then you were at the start of the merge. So, yeah, sure you get a second chance. Plus you're a total badass when it comes to fighting."

"Thank you," Charizard said, taking a deep breath. "That's a weight off."

"Well, I better go check that dumb letter," Lucario said. "I've been putting it off all day. See you at the campfire!"

"Seeya," Charizard grunted, and Lucario darted over to the mail post.

The dragon flopped down, letting out a deep sigh. "Why does everything have to be so amazing and terrible at the same time?"

 **0000**

" **I think the big guy is going to be okay," Lucario said, smiling.**

 **0000**

"So, Shuckle won immunity,"Tepig said, pocketing the money. "Scraggy evolved again. You know, the works."

"Well, you managed to avoid blowing up my island," Victini admitted, grudgingly impressed. "I'm not asking about the challenge though."

"Tepig, before you leave, there is choice you must make," Hariyama said, holding up his flask. "Think on it."

"Don't worry mate, I will," Tepig said, watching Hariyama and Victini leave. He sighed, looking at the boat ready to take him away. He could merely use his legendary powers to fly, but the air expenses were bullshit.

Presently, his phone rang, (playingKenny Chansey's _Wild Child_ ) but without hesitation he declined it.

"Let me guess, it's Minccino."

Tepig turned, letting out a sigh. "You aren't going to let this drop, are you?"

"Look, I'm just curious," Umbreon said. "Grant a girl at least some sort of explanation."

"What's there to say?" Tepig asked. "Immortality, money, partying all the time, getting smashed. Sounds like an awesome exit to me, especially since I got to bust up Scrafty."

"So basically, you're going to do exactly what you always do, except now you'll be an all-powerful legendary Pokemon," Umbreon drawled.

"Well, someone like me? Not very good at change," Tepig admitted, a little downcast. "Now I have an excuse because legendary Pokemon don't have to evolve or grow. We just….are."

"But Minccino won't," Umbreon said, slowly putting the pieces together. "You're avoiding her because you're afraid that she'll be the only one that sees right through you."

"Oy," Tepig said. "I'm an open book."

"No, you're not," Umbreon said, flopping down. "You created a personality through your own exaggerated traits, so most people will accept doing something as extravagant as the way you're acting without blinking. But not the people who know you, and especially not Minccino."

Tepig looked down. "Look, I told you earlier, but I need the-"

"Attention," Umbreon finished. "But I think you need to realize the attention you _want_ is bad for you. What you need is love, not publicity, and you had something going pretty good for you, yeah? Maybe don't throw it away."

"Maybe you should follow your own advice," Tepig said, folding his arms. "Is Giratina _really_ the person you want to date, or is it a furry, bucktooth-"

Umbreon shoved him in the water. "This Is why I don't help people."

She walked off, giving him a shrug. "Do what you want with your dumb power trip. Just at least make sure Minccino's on board with it."

Tepig came to the surface and he shot a spout of water from his mouth. "Yeah, yeah, you big cuddly Koala."

"Wow, you're a REALLY good girlfriend," Giratina said as Umbreon walked by. "All that psychology bs just to get him out of my room?"

"Yeah," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. " _That's_ all what that was."

 **00000**

" **Reason I hate people so much?" Umbreon asked. "We pick precisely what is worst for us. If people could think like…one SECOND beyond their immediate decisions life wouldn't be nearly as shitty. Idiots."**

 **0000**

" **I'm voting Scrafty, but I'm sure he'll find a way to wriggle out of it somehow," Shuckle said, rolling his eyes.**

 **0000**

" **Charizard, but it doesn't really matter," Scrafty said, leaning back. "Wait, can I vote Tepig?"**

 **0000**

"So how was the challenge today, kids?" Victini asked. "Did Tepig do a good job?"

"No," Umbreon muttered.

"Meh, I had fun," Shuckle said with a chuckle.

"Anyway, votes are in, and in all honesty I expected this sooner," Victini admitted, looking them over. "Shuckle and Lucario, you two have immunity."

Charizard bit his lip, nervous, while Gallade glanced at Umbreon, who shrugged. Lucario was…..standing up?

"Wait!" Lucario said, looking a little unsure. "I um…I have an announcement to make."

"Well, can you hurry it up?" Victini asked. "This chapter is already past eleven thousand words…"

"I uh…just got an offer I can't really refuse," Lucario admitted, holding up an open letter with the Pokken emblem emblazoned on it.

"Good job," Hariyama whispered. "About time."

"You got accepted in!?" Charizard yelped.

"I…yeah," Lucario said, a wide grin on her face. She blushed when the other five broke out in applause.

"So, I'm assuming you're telling us this because you're planning on quitting," Victini said in a rather business-like tone.

Lucario blushed even further. "Well, yes. Their schedule is tight. I need to be over there in two days."

"Well, there goes the drama!" Victini growled, throwing his hands in the air and flying off.

"S-sorry," Lucario said, rubbing the back of her head.

"I think Victini wanted you to win," Hariyama admitted. "He's disappointed that you're leaving."

"Good luck, Lucario," Gallade said. "I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say that we'll be supporting you."

"Yeah, have fun and junk," Umbreon said, not looking over her phone. "You just better kick their asses."

"Well, I'm glad all those weeks of kicking my ass is paying off," Shuckle said, giving a warm smile. "Good luck."

"Thanks guys," Lucario said, giving them all a broad smile as she finished packing her bags. "Good luck with the competition."

"You deserve it more than anybody," Charizard said, high fiving her. "Shame I'm going to have to find a new sparring partner though."

Lucario stepped on the boat, sure that for once it was her ride to success, rather than failure. She smiled as the others watched her leave. It was the end of an era, wasn't it?

 **0000**

" **You know, I was surprised by how many of them congratulated me," Lucario admitted. "Even though I know we were all so prickly and introverted, we really did care about each other, even if it looks a long time to show it."**

 **She folded her arms. "This has been one massive emotional roller coaster, and while I'm kind of relieved it's over, I will miss it. This show did a lot for me; got me a smoking hot girlfriend, a bunch of friends, and a direction for what I want to be. I kind of love this place."**

" **Anyway, I'm okay with whoever wins," Lucario said. "Except Scrafty. He can suck my dick. So long Total Pokkemon Island, hello Pokken Tournament."**

 **00000**

Charizard and Scrafty were the only two left sitting around the campfire, Charizard's eyes straining after Lucario and Scrafty sharpening his knife.

"Wonderful," Charizard said with a heavy sigh. "I finally make a friend, and she's gone before I could even get to know her. Still, I'm happy for her."

"Yeah, me too," Scrafty said in a somber voice. "Shame it was just a forgery though, eh?"

Charizard looked over the horizon, wondering when the first tournament and whether he'd have the money to get in, before Scrafty's words sunk in.

"Wait….what?"

Scrafty shrugged. "She'll probably be disappointed when she finds out I forged the letter. Sucks for her-grrk!"

Charizard was pinning Scrafty to the wall by his neck, breathing heavily. "You…..there's no way…."

"Ow, get off!" Scrafty snapped, trying to break free. "It was a purely strategic move!"

"HOW DARE YOU!" Charizard roared. "How could you do that to her!? I don't….I don't understand!"

"You're the _last_ person that should be complaining about it!" Scrafty spat. "I DID YOU A FAVOR!"

Charizard dropped Scrafty immediately and stumbled back. "Wh-what?"

"You were on the chopping block, Charizard!" Scrafty said. "We both were! I saved both our asses from the person that probably would have won the whole damn thing."

"B-but that's not what I wanted!" Charizard stammered. "She deserved to win-"

"Not my problem," Scrafty snapped. "But look at it this way. We're tied together. You're stuck with me, and I with you, and it's the only reason we're still in the game. You want to prove Lucario right? Go ahead, attack me. But you won't, because we both know the kind of person you are."

He stared at a sputtering Charizard. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I'm going to have a smoke."

Charizard gaped as Scrafty left, before roaring and sending jets of fire high in the air out of rage.

 **0000**

" **Ohohoho, it is GOOD to be back," Scrafty said, holding a cigarette. "I feel like I need to overcompensate after spending so long cooped up in that shitty Scraggy body."**

 **00000**

" _I got a rock."_

Gallade roared in laughter, slapping his knee with his blade. "Somehow it gets even funnier every time it's heard!"

"Welcome to my world, dude!" Shuckle said, leaning off and giving a toast to Gallade with two sodas. They chugged them down.

"Okay," Shuckle said, letting out a carbonated burp. "We're either marathoning the entire first season of _Cheers,_ or we're doing the entire original trilogy of Star Wars. Your choice."

"I don't know what those are and I'm hyped!" Gallade shouted. "Get to it!"

"See, this is what the entire season should've been like," Shuckle said with a laugh. "For once I'm glad you weren't eliminated for being a threat."

"Yeah, that's-hey what's that supposed to mean?" Gallade asked.

Shuckle gulped. "Nothing!"

0000

Scrafty hummed as he jogged, trying to get used to his new muscles. By Arceus it had hurt going back. He jogged over to the dock, where he saw Tepig sitting with his feet in the water. His eyebrow raised.

Tepig, on the other hand, was looking at the water, but there was no reflection to be found.

" _So simple yet experimental, Innocent but still a little wild child-"_

Tepig looked down at his phone, staring at Minccino's name. He took a deep sigh and answered it.

"G'day…Minccino."

" _Wow….you…actually answered…."_

"I should have earlier. Please don't be impressed that I did."

" _I guess I was just thinking that... with the um…with the change you made that you wouldn't want to see me anymore."_

Tepig actually felt anger. "You think after being lucky enough to be with someone as amazing as you that I'd be stupid enough to leave? Hell, I may be a bit of an idiot but nobody's that moronic."

" _Say that to my exes,"_ Minccino said with a forced chuckle. " _But if the case then why avoid me?"_

"I'm a little afraid of you," Tepig admitted. "I figured talking to you would garner an explanation, and I needed a little time."

" _Then next time just leave a text, dude,"_ Minccino said, and Tepig could practically hear her roll her eyes. " _Also, what kind of monster do you think I am?"_

" _A sexy one?"_ Tepig asked, snickering.

" _Look, I'm not sure what changed when you went super god or if you're going to be like that forever,"_ Minccino said. " _But it didn't change my feelings towards you. I'm willing to make it work, so whatever massive epiphany you're having really shouldn't involve me. Just come home, okay?"_

"Plus, the sex would be way better," Tepig said with a shrug.

" _Ha."_

"So are we…er…good?"

" _Just come back home, okay? I miss you."_

"Will do," Tepig said. "Be back tonight. Love you."

" _I know."_

Snickering as he hung up, Tepig looked at his vial inquisitively. What he chose now at this point was really up to him now, wasn't it?"

"What's going on with you?" Scrafty called. "And why the hell are you still here? Haven't you been a literal screen hog the entire season? Give someone else some spotlight."

"Oh, look who it is," Tepig said. "Just doing some dramatic decision making with a cool backdrop."

"Yeah, no shit," Scrafty said, walking over to the docks. "Well, since you're not in the competition anymore I have no reason to be enemies with you anymore."

"Don't you now?" Tepig said, rolling his eyes.

"I mean honestly, I should thank you," Scrafty admitted, lighting a cigarette. "Want one?"

"Thanks mate," Tepig said quietly, taking it. Once again, they sat with their feet over the dock, smoking in silence.

"….What was that about you thanking me?"

"Well, not for turning me back into a Scraggy," Scrafty said. "You can die in a hole for that. But…the experience…. the flashbacks, evolving again….it taught me something I'd forgotten when I first evolved. I know I'm a shitty person. Doesn't mean I don't have to accept it."

"Not even going to bother trying to change?" Tepig asked.

"Change is a lie," Scrafty snapped. "We are who we are by the time we reach a certain age. Any change after that is just a temporary illusion to make us feel better about ourselves. The real trick is becoming that functioning alcoholic; learning how to live with yourself and succeeding despite it."

"You think so?" Tepig asked vaguely.

"In fact, if you ask me?" Scrafty asked. "Keep the immortality. Be selfish, and trick yourself into being happy. You have a chance for satisfaction, and unlike happiness it isn't fleeting or fake."

"You're right," Tepig admitted, standing up. "I shouldn't be asking you."

Before Scrafty could respond, Tepig threw the flask as hard as he could, where it splashed in the water.

Scrafty's eyes widened, before scoffing. "Fine, be a naïve idiot. No skin off my pants."

Tepig flipped Scrafty off as he turned and left. "Well, time to stop running away I guess..

He took two steps for realizing.

"Oh wait how the fuck am I supposed to get home now-"

0000

Lot of crazy stuff went on this chapter, huh. I hope you guys liked it.

Lucario leaves, unfortunately, leaving the top five with only one female. Sheesh, am I sexist or what? 

Any predictions, comments, criticisms, and uh…just reviews in general would be a great help for me and my inspiration.

Until next time, guys. Only a few more chapters to go.

Lucario: Review, guys! Show the author your support!


	34. Chapter 34: Mystery Dungeon: TPI Edition

Hey guys, here with the next chapter! Once again, credit to Premasaur and Fuzzboy for giving it a look over. Hope you enjoy!

0000

"So out of everyone you could have chosen, you decided to come to _me?_ I'm not exactly Quen Camaraderie over here," Umbreon said, giving Scrafty a suspicious glare.

"Look," Scrafty said, his teeth gritted. "We both know my back's against the wall here, and out of everyone here you hate me the least. On your end, a second vote is very valuable this late in the game. You even get to pick the person we vote for. What do you have to lose?"

"You could stick a knife in my back as soon as my back is turned," Umbreon countered. "I'm no fool Scrafty. I know what kind of man you are."

"At any other time you'd have a point, but what ulterior motive could I possibly have?" Scrafty asked, raising his hands in surrender. "This is just a matter of self-preservation."

"Fine," Umbreon said. "And who would _you_ vote for? As if I didn't know."

"Gallade or Shuckle," Scrafty said after a moment of hesitation. "Charizard's already one foot in the grave, and he's so self-destructive he'll probably end up taking himself out before too long. Meanwhile, Gallade and Shuckle are the peak of physical and mental strength."

"Fair point," Umbreon said, still eyeing Scrafty a bit suspiciously. "Alright, I'll take you on your offer. Under one condition."

"Name it," Scrafty said, lighting a cigarette.

"Make Charizard use his mega evolution, and no, I don't care about the method," Umbreon said, shrugging in indifference. "Make him snap, coerce him to, I don't care. If he's as self-destructive as you say, then prove it. Then I'll concede and vote for either Gallade or Shuckle. Deal?"

She held out a paw. She watched a grin play on the hoodlum's face as he shook it.

"Deal."

 **0000**

" **Believe it or not, I'm not trying to be manipulative this time around," Scrafty admitted. "I'm pretty far up shit creek, and Umbreon just threw me a paddle. In all honesty? I wouldn't mind taking her to the final. The other three beat me out either physically or mentally, but I think I stand a decent chance at kicking her ass."**

 **0000**

" **What am I going to?" Umbreon asked. "Like I'd tell** _ **you,**_ **asshole. Get the fuck off my back, I do things my way."**

 **0000**

Gallade's single eye opened, and for a moment he casted a very bleary glance around the room in confusion. This wasn't his hamlet…where the hell was he-

"Oh God…. were we drinking?" Shuckle asked, clutching his head and moaning. "Why does my head feel like someone took a hammer to it."

"We…must've gone pretty hard," Gallade said, nursing his own headache. Food was strewn about the floor, as were tons of different DVDs.

"My head's filled with outdated eighties sitcom openings and Star Wars quotes," Gallade murmured. "What the hell did you do to me?"

Shuckle gave a cheeky grin. "Welcome to nerd culture, dude. If Munchlax were here he'd be crying right now."

Gallade merely groaned. "Remind me never to invite you to my apartment."

"Oh shaddup, we had fun," Shuckle said with a giggle. He flicked on the television.

Gallade sighed. "Okay, maybe a _little_ bit of fun. Not that much though…"

Shuckle tuned into the news. "Okay….aww shit it's raining and….wait….th-that date…."

Gallade looked up, and his single eye went wide. "WE'VE BEEN IN HERE FOR THREE DAYS!?"

Shuckle winced. "Ow…dude…headache…way too early to be yelling."

"What, is this a common thing in your life?" Gallade snapped.

 **0000**

" **Okay, in my defense, there's not a whole lot you can do as a Shuckle," Shuckle admitted. "We're not exactly mobile creatures, so spending a lot of time sleeping isn't too weird. Honestly, I'm pretty weird for my species because unlike them I'm a lot more ambitious and quick thinking. Most Shuckles just create a bunch of berry juice and live on that their whole lives without moving."**

 **0000**

"Where the hell have you two been?" Umbreon asked, glaring at an exhausted Shuckle and Gallade over the cafeteria table the three were sitting at. "I've been alone with Charizard and Scrafty; not exactly good company."

"Heard that," Charizard rumbled from another table, though he didn't seem up to confronting them about it.

"Good, I wasn't whispering!" Umbreon snapped back.

"We've been…" Gallade looked at Shuckle for help.

"Er…strategizing?"

"Strategizing…yes…"

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Anyway, since neither of you were going to do it, I found something pretty interesting. Scrafty had been on the camp computer a lot lately, so I did a little digging around."

"…you did?" Shuckle asked. "The same girl who can't remember half the Pokemon in the cast of the show?"

"Quiet, Endolith," Umbreon snapped. "Anyway, I _may_ have taken a couple of furtive glances at the guy's email password…."

"Umbreon, you beautiful bastard," Shuckle whispered. "I think I know what it means to be in love now."

"Hey, dark typing. Being underhanded is in the title," Umbreon said, a coy grin on her face. "But uh…you're not going to like what I found there. Correspondence with a Mismagius that was apparently on that old show he used to be on. Her thing was scamming and forgeries….and since she had connections to Pokken Tournament…."

"Wait," Shuckle said, his eyes wide. "You're not saying…"

"Ever think it was convenient that Lucario got that acceptance letter when she did?" Umbreon asked. She tossed a whole pile of fake letters on the desk. "Now we know why."

"Scrafty _faked_ the acceptance letter?" Shuckle hissed. "I knew he was capable of a lot, but that's-"

 _Clang!_

Gallade had slammed his blade on the table, and he was shuddering with rage. "That's…..that's not right. I know how that feels…. the expression on her face when she realizes….how could he…?"

"Bastard," Shuckle spat. "Of _course_ he had that up his sleeve. He was up for elimination that night and he knew it. If it weren't for that letter, Lucario would be still here at Scrafty would be long gone."

"So, what are you guys going to do about it?" Umbreon asked, appearing the most unmoved out of the three of them.

"Confront him; right here, right now," Gallade snarled as he rose, kicking his seat to the side.

"Okay that's _one_ option," Shuckle said nervously, before gaping as Gallade stalked off. "Gallade?"

"What do you want?" Scrafty asked over his bowl of cereal, giving Gallade an odd look as he approached. "Can't a guy enjoy his-"

Gallade threw a roundhouse kick, striking Scrafty in the face. The poor hoodlum flew into the wall hard enough to shatter it, and he hit the grass in a roll. Gallade walked after him, his arms glowing with psychic power.

"Oh, what the hell did I ever do to you, asshole!" Scrafty growled, holding his black eye.

"More than you know," Gallade drawled. "I'm sick of your attitude, and I'm more sick that you haven't been confronted. Fight me, right here, right now. I'm no Zorua, so pardon me if I hit a little harder."

Scrafty cursed under his breath, backing up a little. He'd seen Gallade in action, there was no way he could stand up to that. "Can't we talk about this?"

"I'm done talking," Gallade growled, but before he could make a move, Victini teleported in front of them.

"Whoa, whoa!" Victini shouted. "Chill the heck out guys. Gallade if you're going to kick his ass, do it during the challenge!"

Shuckle looked on in horror. "Come on man! There's a time and a place for this."

Gallade bit his lip. "…Fine…" he took a few steps, before fixing Scrafty with a deadly glare. "You don't know how lucky you are."

As soon as his back was turned, Scrafty flipped him off. Victini sighed at the display, before tossing down a large map. "Guess it's a better time than any to start the challenge."

"Meet me here at this cave in ten minutes, kids. Also, Scrafty, either treat that eye or conceal it from the camera. That's just gross dude."

Victini teleported away, leaving Scrafty glaring at him, before he shook his head and stalked off to Hariyama's medical tent.

Meanwhile, Umbreon nudged Gallade. "You doing okay? That was uh…. pretty out of character."

"I'm fine," Gallade mumbled. "I just….I hate people like him. I _know_ people like him. I just…lost control, I guess."

"Well, be careful," Shuckle said in a stern voice. "We don't need another Charizard on our hands."

"I won't snap again," Gallade said, folding his arms. "But if I see him again during the challenge I reserve the right to kick his ass."

"Okay, uh…. any other suggestions for how to eliminate Scrafty?" Shuckle asked with a nervous giggle. "Because Gallade's idea could end up with him in prison."

Umbreon and Gallade stared at him.

"What?"

"Well, you know him better than anyone else here," Umbreon said, keeping her tone neutral. "If anyone were suited to take him out, you are."

"H-hey, I already decided I'm washing my hands of Scrafty," Shuckle said, raising his hands in surrender. "I wasted enough time being way too serious about winning. I want to _enjoy_ the last couple of challenges."

Gallade folded his arms.

"Are…are you seriously going to make me…FINE, OKAY THEN! I GUESS SERIOUS SHUCKLE IS BACK!"

"Woo," Umbreon said.

"I HATE ALL OF YOU!"

 **0000**

" **I guess I'll spend the next challenge staying back a bit," Umbreon said. "Scrafty did have a point; Shuckle and Gallade are the greatest threats in the competition. I'll decide who the bigger threat is this challenge and focus on eliminating them next chance I get. I'd still rather Charizard and Scrafty out first though."**

 **0000**

" **Shuckle's back in the driver's seat, leading yet ANOTHER alliance apparently!" Shuckle said in mock excitement. "Are Gallade and Umbreon just using me? Probably. Is it still going to be fun as hell to take another crack at Scrafty? Yeah…. I guess…"**

 **0000**

Charizard just wanted to be alone. He was better off alone. Because when you got close with someone else and develop feelings for them, they'll just vanish off the face of the earth.

Except it wasn't random. Scrafty had purposely screwed with her life dream just to save his own neck. THIS WAS WHY YOU COULDN'T TRUST RUFFIANS LIKE HIM! All they did was take and….

"Calm down," Charizard mumbled. "Don't get angry." He had to stay away from the others. His sanity was like a tiny candle; even the slightest intervention could blow it out. Then everyone would be reminded why they hated him in the first place, including Lucario. Then he'd have no one.

He took a few deep breaths. If he stood firm and still, nothing would be able to blow his candle out. People meant distractions. Distractions meant vulnerabilities.

"What took you so long?" Victini asked, and Charizard snapped into focus. He had happened upon the cave and hadn't even noticed. "Even Shuckle beat you here."

"I take offense to that!"

Charizard sighed. "I'm sorry. Please, just explain the challenge."

"Alright….Victini said, looking a little suspicious. "Well, this cave is actually pretty intricate and complex. There are five entrances, but only one exit, so you guys will crossover with each other eventually."

Surprisingly, it was Scrafty who looked happiest at this fact. He gave Charizard a wink.

"So in theory, it's a simple challenge," Victini said. "Each of you enter a different path to find the exit. What's more complicated, however, is what's in the cave itself. For you see, this is a mystery dungeon!"

"Cool," Umbreon said, not even paying attention as she fiddled with her phone.

"Aw come on, Umbreon, can't you even _pretend_ to be invested," Victini whined. "This took a lot of time to put together."

"Hey, I said, 'cool', didn't I?" Umbreon asked. "Hold on, I'm dumping Giratina right now."

"Wait, why?" Victini asked.

"Eh, dating a legendary Pokemon was cool at first, but its lost its luster. Plus he's kind of a narcissistic whiner, so…."

"Dude, he'll stalk you for weeks on end if he's not satisfied," Victini warned. "Tread carefully."

"Can we stay on the task at hand?" Scrafty snapped. "This show's dragged on long enough."

"Shut up, Scrafty. And fine," Victini said with a sigh. "Mystery dungeons are mysterious little bastards that never look the same for each person. They're filled with enemies and bosses, and for some reason you get like…super hungry there. Also traps! Lots of traps!"

"Okay, traps like a male Lopunny, or pitfalls?" Shuckle asked.

"Yes," Victini said vaguely. "Well, since I think it's more fun for me if you find out for yourself, I'll leave you to it! OH BUT ONE MORE TWIST!"

"I have sensitive ears, Victini," Umbreon grumbled.

"Sorry."

"What kind of twist?" Charizard asked, a pit in his stomach.

"The best kind! Elimination twist!" Victini said. "You see kids; my least favorite number is four. I hate number four with a passion, so I decided to skip that number entirely. There will be TWO ELIMINATIONS TONIGHT! The last person out of the cave will be automatically eliminated, and the voting ceremony will proceed as usual."

Shuckle, Umbreon, and Gallade glanced at each other. It looked extremely likely that at least one of them were going home. Scrafty, on the other hand, looked elated.

 **0000**

" **Well, this is great!" Scrafty said. "I sabotage Charizard into leaving, then Umbreon fulfills her end of the bargain and votes for either Shuckle or Gallade, and I'm in the top three. Since that challenge is an automatic elimination challenge by default, they can't vote me off. I survive today and the game is totally mine."**

 **0000**

" **Of all the-SCREW YOU VICTINI!" Shuckle roared.**

 **0000**

"Well, this looks intimidating," Scrafty said, the cigarette in his mouth muffling his voice. He and the other four campers stared at five different winding pathways.

Charizard stomped ahead immediately, taking the furthest path to the left, his tail shining the way forward. Scrafty took another path after exchanging glares with Gallade and Shuckle.

"So, how do you want to do this?" Shuckle asked. "I mean, it'd probably be best if we worked together, but how will we meet?"

"I could try using my telepathy with you, Shuckle," Gallade said, shrugging. "Umbreon's a dark type, so she has a natural block, so I'm not sure what you'll-"

"Meh, I work best left to my own devices anyway," Umbreon muttered. "I'm no idiot; I won't be out last, and even if I don't win immunity I'm probably not the one Charizard or Scrafty will vote for. You two are in the most danger this challenge, so worry about your own necks."

"Okay, I guess," Shuckle said. "Just stay safe, alright?"

"Don't make it gay, Shuckle," Umbreon drawled, setting off on her path.

"You know, I can never read that girl," Gallade said, a little curious. "Are you sure we can trust her?"

"Umbreon's a good person," Shuckle said, albeit a bit hesitantly. "She probably wants to win as much as anyone, but come on. Nobody would want to keep in Scrafty and Charizard over us."

"I suppose…" Gallade said, his eye narrowed.

 **0000**

" **I want to like Umbreon," Gallade said. "She has a good, dry sense of humor, she's smart, and I do believe she's a good person. But she has her own agenda, and unlike Shuckle, who's been a lot more open with me in a lot of ways, she's very secretive. I'm sure I'm just imagining it, but I'm not willing to fully trust her until I truly understand her intentions."**

 **0000**

For once, Charizard was grateful for his fire typing. He kept the cave lit, he took care of the many bug type Pokemon that tried to attack him, and unlike other moves, fire attacks were completely silent. Nobody was alerted to his presence by his sound, so he was pretty sure nobody could find him on purpose.

Of course, Charizard's luck meant that the moment he felt comfortable he hit his first trap.

His foot caught a tripwire, and he was moving fast enough to fall flat on his face. The tripwire triggered boulders to rain down, ready to crush the dragon.

Charizard's eye widened. His typing meant that even a boulder could cripple him bad. He rolled out of the way, avoiding the rocks by a narrow margin. He stumbled back….

…Right into a pit of quicksand. Charizard began to sink, and the dragon swore loudly.

"Déjà fucking vu!" Charizard swore. "SINCE WHEN DID QUICKSAND EXIST IN CAVES!"

Stretching his great wings, he tried to fly up, but the sand was a lot quicker and stronger than the trap that he had been caught in before. Soon, it was up to his waist.

"Can't…be serious…." Keep the candle steady…. keep the candle balanced…

0000

It didn't matter if it was a normal cavern or a mystery dungeon; all caves were full of Zubat.

Umbreon rolled her eyes and released attacks. She never was the toughest fighter in the cast, but Zubat were annoying at their worst and she had good enough defenses to tank a few attacks.

…Until one of the lucky bastards nailed her with a poison fang and she felt the toxins flow through her body.

"Son of a bitch," Umbreon growled as she ripped the Zubat off and sent him flying.

Cursing loudly, she stumbled over to the wall. "Okay, this is going to be obnoxious. This is like….the opposite of ecstasy. What's that berry that's supposed to cure poison again?"

She glanced up. A few more Zubat, led by a Golbat, were staring at her.

"Oh, come on!"

0000

"Why am I so hungry? We ate like a half an hour ago, I should not be this hungry!" Shuckle grumbled.

"Well, there's a bunch of apples over there on the cave floor," Gallade pointed out. "Not sure _how_ or _why_ they're here, but here they are."

"Sweet," Shuckle said, munching on one. Shortly after they had split up, Shuckle and Gallade had been able to find each other by taking complementary routes.

"So, what's the plan for Scrafty?" Gallade asked without preamble. Now that they seemed to be taking a break, it seemed like a good time to talk tactics.

"Will you calm down?" Shuckle asked, lying on his back. "I hate the guy more then everybody, but he's not worth this much effort. I got so into making tactics I forgot to enjoy the game, and I don't you to go through that as well."

"I'm….sorry," Gallade muttered, sitting down next to Shuckle. "You're right. I'm just…I'm not very good at enjoying things."

"What about the other day?" Shuckle asked. "We got actual, genuine time to relax. Wasn't that worth it?"

"You mean when I ate so much junk food that I felt like I was going to puke, watched TV until my eye went blurry, and slept so long it felt like waking up out of a coma?"

"Yeah!"

"It was….enjoyable, I suppose," Gallade admitted. "I do wish I had…more positive experiences on the show. But is there any way that we can bring down Scrafty at the same time?"

"Hey, wiping that grin off that stupid hoodlum's face would make my day, but in this case? Not too much," Shuckle said, shrugging. "If we run into him we can kick the guy's ass, but we should just focus on saving our own skins. If we screw up and end up going home, then Scrafty wins. Go for the sure thing. Scrafty's time will come."

"If you say so," Gallade said with a slow nod. "What's it that blue fish always says? Just keep swimming?"

"Precisely," Shuckle said, flashing Gallade a grin.

0000

Scrafty whistled as he nailed the Furret he was fighting in the jaw with a drain punch, before throwing a sweeping kick that sent the poor thing flying. He thought about flicking his lighter back on for a moment, but he was sure he didn't need it.

Sure enough, he found Charizard up to his shoulders in quicksand. Scrafty grinned and folded his arms. This would be even easier than he thought.

"Oh god, no. Please, ANYONE but you!" Charizard growled.

"Well, this is precious. How are you doing, Charizard?" Scrafty asked with a sweet smile.

"I really don't think I need to answer that," Charizard snarled, releasing a powerful jet of fire. Scrafty hopped to the side, raising his hands up defensively.

"We both know you have a way out of this," Scrafty said, watching as the effort of the attack made Charizard sink even quicker. "Use it and kick my ass already."

"I'm not stupid-this is a ploy!" Charizard gasped as the sand reached his neck.

"Really doesn't change the fact that it's your only option," Scrafty said, shrugging. "Hey, if you don't do anything that's fine too. One less opponent for me to drag down."

Charizard scowled at Scrafty, and he began to glow in a harsh light. Scrafty grinned in victory, but suddenly, the light went out and Charizard was completely submerged in the sand.

Scrafty blinked. "Oh…well, that was underwhelming-AH!"

Charizard burst out of the ground a few feet away from the hoodlum, and he swept his tail, knocking Scrafty backwards.

"You know DIG!?" Scrafty shouted, but Charizard released a massive wave of heat that lit the whole cave up. When the smoke cleared, Scrafty was gone.

Charizard took a massive breath, shaking off the sand and dirt. "Ugh, doubt I'm going to get away with that again. I need to move quick."

0000

"Ow….ow…..ow….ow…." Umbreon grumbled in her monotonous tone as she dragged her feet along the cave. "If I see Scrafty I'm going to puke on him sooooo bad."

She tripped over something, falling flat on her face. Groaning, Umbreon looked back to see that a massive gold bar was what she tripped over. "Oh…wow…. score I guess…"

"IS THAT GOLD!?" came a piercing cry. Red eyes glowed, before they revealed the sight of a golden coffin behind them. "ALL GOLD IN THIS CAVE IS MINE!?"

"Oh come ON!" Umbreon snapped. "Why are there so many enemies in this path?"

The Cofagrigus shook its shadowy hands, cackling. "Fool, you will pay for putting your putrid feet on perfection! Prepare to be annihilated!"

"…. You wouldn't happen to be related to Sableye, would you?" Umbreon asked.

"He's my cousin," Cofagrigus said brightly.

Umbreon responded by throwing up all over the poor ghost type.

"EUUURGH!" Cofagrigus hissed, floating backwards. "MY BEAUTIFUL GOLDEN COFFIN IS WOUNDED! NOW I WILL KILL YOU DOUBLE TIME YOU CLOD! GRAAAH-"

Presently, someone tapped his shoulder.

"Yes?" Cofagrigus asked, turning around. He was met by a vicious shadow claw from Gallade that ripped through his ghostly form with ease. He fell unconscious, groaning about golden nuggets.

"Huh. Got a critical hit. Nice," Gallade noted. "Good to see you, Umbreon."

"Hey, Umbreon!" Shuckle said, peeking over from his position on Gallade's shoulder. "You uh…look great!"

"I was poisoned, you dumb shit," Umbreon scowled. "Of course I look like garbage."

Shuckle grinned. "Eh, this seems like your usual look to me."

"….Gonna kill you…."

"We'd better get you a Pecha berry," Gallade said after checking to see how dilated her eyes were.

"We'd better hurry though," Shuckle said, a bit nervous. "We're giving Charizard and Scrafty a mighty head start…"

"Don't worry about it," Gallade said curtly. "We're all making it through the challenge unscathed. To that, I promised."

"Uh yeah…unscathed isn't the word I'd use to describe Umbreon right now," Shuckle said.

"Don't sass," Gallade grumbled. "Now come on. You were right about those two having a head start."

 **0000**

" **Wasn't really expecting Gallade of all people to take a leadership role," Umbreon admitted. "He's really come into his own…"**

 **0000**

Scrafty clutched his burnt arm as he stumbled through his dungeon, climbing up ladder after ladder into more and more of the rooms. He let out a loud swear at the pain of his wound. How had Charizard gotten the upper hand?

He flopped down next to a small pond and dropped his arm in the water, wincing a little at the sting. If he wanted to force Charizard into mega evolving, he'd need to trap the guy instead of confronting him directly. Fortunately, the dumbass didn't realize that the light from his tail was like a beacon in the otherwise pitch black cave. At least Scrafty wouldn't have to worry about finding him again.

"Of course _now_ is when he starts being a pain in the ass to take down," Scrafty grumbled, before forcing himself to forget the pain in his arm a moment. "If I could only trap him in a place that completely screws him over until he mega evolves…hmmm..."

0000

"Shuckle, are you sure we can trust this…. shopkeeper?" Gallade asked, a little uncomfortable. "He seems a little... slippery…."

"Ah, that comes from being a reptile!" The Kecleon said. "And yes, I can help your sick friend. We sell Pecha berries for days!"

"Oh…well we'd be grateful if-"

"BUT! If you steal something, and I mean ANYTHING, I will ensure to make you wish you were never born," Kecleon said coldly.

"Um…noted? Shuckle mumbled.

"Good!" Kecleon said, all smiles. "Come and look around! I'm sure I have much that you could make use of!"

Shuckle exchanged a look with Gallade. Maybe this _wasn't_ such a good idea. Kecleon seemed pretty bi-polar…

"Will you hurry up here? I'm going to choke on my own vomit!" Umbreon snarled. She was apparently "too weak to walk", forcing Gallade to carry her for about half the trip.

"Did you pick up any coins?" Gallade asked.

Shuckle nodded, handing him a small pouch. "Kind of easy when they're all floating around everywhere."

Kecleon tossed him a pecha berry. "Come again!"

Umbreon took a bite, moaning at the relief of the poison leaving her body. "Oh man….is that what it feels like every time you're healed from poison? Shit, I need more berries and a Seviper, pronto."

Kecleon opened his mouth, most likely to offer her both, but Gallade and Shuckle shook their heads emphatically. Kecleon raised an eyebrow.

"Well, we should be going," Gallade said, cracking his back. "Umbreon, are you well?"

"Eh, the poison sapped away quite a bit of my health," Umbreon admitted. "I won't be very helpful in a scrap, but I can walk all right."

"You two go on ahead," Shuckle said, hesitating a moment. "I'd like to take a look at your wares if you don't mind, Kecleon."

"Sure!" Kecleon said, excited at the prospect of getting more money. "Take all the time you need!"

"Well, what happens if we run into Scrafty or Charizard?" Gallade asked. "If they work together, I can't take them on alone, especially if Charizard mega evolves. And in Umbreon's condition…."

"Hmm…." Shuckle said, gazing at Kecleon. "I think…...I may have an idea."

0000

"Shuckle's ideas suck!" Umbreon groaned. "Also, he doesn't explain anything. Why do we have to be sitting ducks in this?"

"Apparently Tepig told him that in writing, keeping the plan a secret boosts the chances of it following through," Gallade said, the destiny knot in hand. "Making a trail is always useful, but I'm still not sure why Shuckle was hyping it so much."

"Gallade can you carry me?" Umbreon moaned. "I'm tired….."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"I'll give you VIP access to my secret stash~"

"Still on international television, Umbreon."

They walked in silence, both a bit too quiet to really enjoy each other's company. Gallade's blades were glowing with psychic energy, while Umbreon's natural good eyesight was enough to keep them from running into obstacles.

"Umbreon can I ask you a question?"

"If you carry me."

"Goddammit, FINE!" Gallade snapped.

"Yay," Umbreon said, climbing on Gallade's back. "Okay then, shoot."

Gallade sighed in annoyance, but still…. despite his affinity to it, he never really liked the dark. It was comforting to feel someone close to him. Not that he'd ever admit it.

"Could I ask you for relationship advice?" Gallade asked, a little awkwardly.

"Me?" Umbreon broke out laughing. "I'm like, the worst person to ask. Ever. Of all time."

"Well, who _else?_ " Gallade snapped. "No way in hell I'm going anywhere near Scrafty and Charizard, and I'm pretty sure Shuckle thinks that romance is a type of Norwegian honey."

"So basically I'm the less of two evils?" Umbreon muttered. "Well, whatever. Spill. Who is it you like, as if I didn't know?"

"Um…. you're talking like it's obvious."

"Well, it is fairly obvious, yes."

"I just…don't know how to handle these feelings," Gallade admitted. A Garbodor lunged out of nowhere, but Gallade silenced it with a single offhand psycho cut. "I've never had to deal with these feelings before."

"You want fake cliché bullshit, or my honest opinion?"

"Um…the former? Sounds a lot less painful."

"Too bad. Look, you're an attractive guy. Your scar is pretty sexy. Your voice can make legs shake. But you need to work on your communication skills before you EVER try to get into a relationship."

She shuddered. "Like some guys I know."

"Well, I'm humbled. So you're basically saying-"

"Get used to yourself, and what you're becoming I guess," Umbreon said. "I don't know, I took first year psychology, I'm not a genius. You're getting better though. I guess."

"Thanks," Gallade said, before dropping her.

"OW! BITCH!"

"Your free trial has expired. If you want to keep using this service, you'll-"

"Oh, NOW you decide to crack jokes?" Umbreon snapped, charging a shadow ball.

 **0000**

" **Me and Umbreon have a lot in common, so I guess I can believe in what she's saying," Gallade said. "And she really, isn't so bad once you get to know her. You know, without Scrafty, the company here isn't too bad."**

 **0000**

"Lovely, a dead end," Charizard grumbled. The room was narrow and full of traps. No point in progressing.

He turned around…just in time to be met with a kick from Scrafty, who knocked him backwards into a pitfall. Charizard roared and flew out of it, before letting loose a jet of fire that Scrafty rolled to avoid.

"Bad mistake," Charizard growled, engulfing himself in intense flames. "You can't take me in a one on one."

"No, I can't," Scrafty admitted. "But they sure as hell can."

Charizard looked up in horror as Salazzle sprung out of nowhere from many different directions, pouncing on the poor dragon and pinning him down. Charizard let out a roar and threw one off, but more and more took its place.

"See, the thing is, Victini's kept these guys in the cave for weeks on end in preparation," Scrafty said. "They haven't had a good smoke in so long that they'd do anything for a pack of cigarettes."

"You…cheap shotting….scumbag!" Charizard snarled, trying in vain to break free. The candle was fragile and shaking madly. If he didn't steady his emotions…

"You're an idiot, Charizard," Scrafty said, pacing in front of the dragon's struggling form. "A genuine stupid person. You were a corrupt, hot tempered police officer, and despite your original role of leader, you never knew how to think for yourself. You're just a big, feral monster who only really got by on physical strength. Eliminating you now would be a mercy."

"I…I _worked_ to get where I am," Charizard protested. "My track record-"

"Is full of the arrests of dark and ghost types," Scrafty said. "Pretty racist if you ask me. But I get it. The biases came from your intense and volatile anger that you never knew where to place. Hell, that's where you are. You're angry, but you don't know what you're angry at."

"Would you…fuck…off already!?" Charizard roared, making an effort to breath fire, but a Salazzle wrapped an arm around his neck to cut the attack off.

"Be angry at me pal," Scrafty said, kneeling down in front of him. "Come on, what else do you have to prove?"

"I don't….I don't want to be angry, Scrafty!" Charizard snarled. "Stop exploiting me for my mega evolution."

"So THIS is the alternative?" Scrafty asked with a snicker. "That's what you amounted to in your weeks spent in Total Pokkemon Island. Not being able to catch the thief. Not doing anything as better competitors took out the threats. Occasionally attacking and traumatizing random bystanders. Tell me, what gives you the moral high ground over me?"

"You act maliciously," Charizard snarled, his eyes clenched tight as he tried to ignore the pain. "I don't mean to hurt people, but you stick in the knife!"

"Intentions don't matter, asshole," Scrafty said, stepping on Charizard's head and beginning to add pressure. "You can't call a mistake a mistake if it keeps happening over and over. Then it's just a bad habit."

"I will never….be….as….bad as you," Charizard growled.

"You already are," Scrafty spat. "And hey, even if you're not, at least I was good enough in the game to keep in the people I wanted. You couldn't even save Lucario-"

And just like that, the candle flickered out.

 **0000**

" **I saw this coming but I'm still not looking forward to it," Shuckle said with a deep sigh.**

 **0000**

"Okay, judging by that explosion, Charizard just went mega." Shuckle sighed. He hated when he was right about things.

He had basically bought the entire Kecleon shop. Items filled a bucket that he had attached wheels on, so he could move a little bit quicker than his usual crawl. He wheeled after the destiny knot that Gallade left as a trail behind, but he imagined it would take a little while to find them.

A Luxray growled at him, but Shuckle tossed a smoke ball that exploded above the lion's head, causing it to hack up smoke and dart away.

Shuckle winced as the explosions died down. Uh-oh. He had hoped that mega Charizard would be loud and obvious. If he was quiet and stealthy….this would be made a lot more difficult.

 _Did you hear what I just did?_ Shuckle nearly fell out of his mobile bucket. He still wasn't used to the whole "telepathy" thing.

 _Yeah,_ Shuckle though hard. _Just stick to the plan and keep Umbreon safe. We can still pull through this, I promise._

 _I'll hold you to that promise,_ Gallade warned.

Presently, Shuckle stopped. His heart was hammering in his chest. He felt an air of finality in the battle ahead. Scrafty and he had spent the entire game skirting around each other, staying alive even as their most notorious opponents had fallen. Now they couldn't avoid each other any longer.

With a deep sigh, Shuckle nodded. He _had_ to beat Scrafty. Not for himself, but for everyone that Scrafty had taken down. Everyone that Shuckle failed to protect. And to prove that Scrafty couldn't win by the way he played; exploiting others without any care about who he hurt. He didn't care about how brutal reality television shows could get. For as long as he was in the game, he'd do everything in his power to ensure Scrafty's defeat.

For Audino, for Bidoof, for Gliscor, for Zorua, for Tepig, and for Munchlax…. Shuckle didn't have a choice. By tonight, one of them was going home. It just had to be Scrafty. He didn't even care about winning anymore, but if Scrafty slipped through the cracks again….

"No," Shuckle decided. It was over before it even started. Scrafty was going home.

0000

"Heh, even easier than I thought it would be," Scrafty said, sitting on Mega Charizard's back.

The dragon turned out to be incredibly easy to control once he mega evolved. He had lost his willpower and whatever individuality he had once had. Now he was just a force of nature, bound to whoever had awakened him.

The competition was over. Charizard would terrorize the trio remaining, leaving Scrafty free to grasp immunity. One of the trio would be eliminated, leaving a two vote tie between whoever Scrafty chose and Charizard. Charizard, being allowed in his mega form until the end of the elimination, would win with ease. Then he'd take care of the last camper remaining with ease in the next challenge, or Charizard if he proved to be a threat. The game was his.

"Ah, here we are," Scrafty said, forcing mega Charizard to pull up. Gallade was standing in front of Umbreon protectively.

"Where's Shuckle?" Scrafty asked. "He's going to miss the party."

"What are you doing?" Gallade asked, his body trembling with rage. "This whole thing is very gratuitous."

"Season finale has to go out with a bang," Scrafty said, pulling out his very last cigarette. "Not my season finale, it'd be yours, but hey, I'm a nice guy."

"Who wants to win _this_ much?" Umbreon said in disbelief.

"My whole life has been centered around this game," Scrafty hissed. "It's not about winning, it's about _not losing._ This was my fresh start!"

"Fresh start at being a total prick?" Umbreon snapped. "Shuckle's told me what you used to be like. The only thing that's changed from here and then is now you pretend not to care about people. You're a weak fucking person, but at least you _knew_ it before."

"Caring about people makes for shit players," Scrafty snapped. "Look at you two. Not exactly the life of the party, but look how far you got. You understand me a lot better than you're willing to admit; we're all edgy assholes out for themselves."

"At least they'll be remembered for changing for the better. You'll only be remembered for changing for the worse."

Scrafty glanced up. Shuckle was standing on a ledge of rock, facing Scrafty with a determined expression.

"Well, here we all are then," Scrafty said, spinning around to look at all of them. He kept his tone light and careful. "Now enough of your bullshit philosophies. Time for Charizard to blow shit up."

"Don't be his slave," Gallade pleaded to Charizard, who glared with dull, defeated eyes. "Don't make the same mistake I did."

"Can't hear you," Scrafty said offhandedly. "That's Mega Charizard's gimmick. He becomes slave to whoever summons him, which makes my job waaay easier. Got to love it when the plot favors you."

Gallade's blades glowed pink with power. "I see I seem to have no choice." His thoughts raced. Somehow he had to put distance between him and mega Charizard. He didn't understand Shuckle's plan, but it was all they had.

"Alright, Charizard. Let loose!" Scrafty shouted.

 **0000**

" **Charizard might be a lot more powerful when he mega evolves, but also a lot less smart," Scrafty said. "He also can't remember events from his base form pretty clearly. It was pretty easy to strike a deal with the guy, but I think the whole slave-master thing adds to dramatic effect. You're welcome for the ratings, producers."**

 **0000**

Mega Charizard let out bursts of fire, lighting up the entire cave. Gallade kicked Umbreon out of the way and rolled to the side, launching a psycho cut that the dragon batted aside with ease.

"Did you have to kick me?" Umbreon snapped. "There wasn't some other way you could have gotten me out of there?"

"Maybe," Gallade snapped, running forward. "But this way worked."

He threw himself at Mega Charizard, who followed suit with a vicious headbutt that sent Gallade flying into a wall, pebbles rolling down on top of him as he hit the ground.

"Nice shot, Charizard!" Scrafty said, whooping, before turning in time to see Shuckle slam into him. The endolith used the string shot to swing him forward, and he collided perfectly with Scrafty's skull. Using the momentum to his advantage, Shuckle wrapped his long limbs around Scrafty, trapping him in a wrestler's hold.

"Guys! Stick to the plan, alright!?" Shuckle shouted. "I can handle Scrafty, but-"

Scrafty pushed the end of his cigarette into one of Shuckle's limbs. Shuckle yelped at the burning sensation, loosening his hold and giving Scrafty time to pounce. They rolled off Charizard's back and down a ledge.

Mega Charizard, paying no attention in the slightest, lunged forward once again. Gallade ducked under the swing of his tail and, scooping Umbreon up in his arms, sprinted away, following the string he had left behind as a trail.

Mega Charizard roared and flew forward in pursuit.

0000

Scrafty and Shuckle slid down, Scrafty on his feet and Shuckle inside his shell. Scrafty spun, kicking Shuckle in the air. The poor bug type landed on his head as Scrafty safely slid down the slope.

"Oww!" Shuckle shouted, launching another string shot as Scrafty sprinted forward.

Scrafty moved to the side, but the shot wrapped around his arm, jerking it back. Scrafty ignored it, sprinting forward, before delivering a high jump kick that sent Shuckle crashing against the wall.

Scrafty snorted, eyeing Shuckle with disgusted confusion. "What the hell were you trying to prove by attacking me? We both know that you can't beat me to the finish. You'll be automatically eliminated!"

"And then Umbreon and Gallade will vote you off, and do you think Charizard will vote with you after what you did to him?"

"You'll lose first!" Scrafty snapped, losing his composure.

"My pride can take that," Shuckle countered. "If I can ensure your defeat, my stakes in the game don't matter."

Scrafty swore. Shuckle had him pinned. If he stalled him long enough, Scrafty would lose his chance at immunity, and after that, he'd be easy pickings for elimination, especially after his performance earlier in the challenge.

Turning, Scrafty sprinted forward, in an attempt to climb the massive ledge that they had tumbled down. Shuckle shot another thread of string that wrapped around Scrafty's legs. The hoodlum swore as he fell.

"You have a point, Scrafty," Shuckle said, spinning his bucket in his hand. "I _may_ be going home tonight. In fact, I'm probably closer to leaving then I've ever been in the show. But, you'd better believe…."

Scrafty pulled out his small Swiss army knife, cutting through the threads tying his feet together with ease. This was it then, huh? They weren't going to put off their final duel any longer then?

Shuckle's eyes narrowed. "... that I'll spend every one of my remaining moments on the show defying you."

0000

Heat enveloped the entire cavern behind Gallade, who poured on the speed, following the destiny knot on the ground while carrying Umbreon in bridal position.

"He's gaining on you," Umbreon said without much interest.

"Yes, I have ears!" Gallade snapped.

"Wait…do you?" Umbreon asked.

"I…. We don't have time to answer that question," Gallade snapped. "Now can you move yet?"

"Meh, I think so," Umbreon said. "Not that I don't _love_ being in your arms."

Gallade dropped her. "Then keep following the string. I'll hold Charizard off here. At this rate it's the only way I'll hamper his progress."

"Okay, dumb plan," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. "Don't martyr yourself, dude."

"I'm not martyring myself," Gallade said, a slow grin appearing on his face. "I spent months honing my warrior instinct, so I may as well put it to use."

"Okay, fine, play up your hero fantasies all you want," Umbreon said, sighing in surrender. "I'm out."

She limped off, leaving Gallade alone. Mega Charizard wasn't expecting his prey to up and kick him in the face. The dragon let out a yelp of pain and slid back a few feet, but recovered immediately, letting out a wave of heat that burned the hair off Gallade's arms when he rolled out of the way.

Gallade stood up, focusing his psychic power. "Well, this will be fun."

0000

Shuckle really hated fighting. He knew some people, like Lucario, loved the sweat and the pain and the adrenaline rush, but he was far from one of those people. He preferred hanging back and planning, letting other, more experienced fighters take initiative. It was just his role to fill.

But in this case? He was having the time of his life.

Scrafty fought like he always did, careful but not hesitant. He was effortless in transitioning between offense and defense, looking for openings even as he was covering his.

And yet he couldn't land a hit on Shuckle.

Be it drive, adrenaline, or just plain rhythm, Shuckle kept up with Scrafty, spinning his bucket around to block Scrafty's strikes. He didn't need to have speed to beat Scrafty; Scrafty wasn't much faster than he was. All he needed was reflexes and a smarter mind.

Scrafty winced as his fist slammed into the bucket, pain shooting up his knuckles. Shuckle used his momentary moment of surprise to smack Scrafty around the head. The hoodlum fell hard on his back.

As Scrafty rolled to his feet, Shuckle launched orbs. One exploded at Scrafty's feet, sending him flying to the side. Others kicked up dust and smoke, blocking his visage. Finally, one landed in front of him, exploding into a pitfall that trapped Scrafty's legs.

Scrafty growled in annoyance as Shuckle loomed over him. "Fight fair you stupid….grr…..!"

"I go with what works, Guy," Shuckle said, shrugging. "And I wouldn't exactly call you an honorable fighter either."

Scrafty hesitated, before his face broke out in a smirk. "You're right. I don't play fair either. Come on out, boys!"

Salazzle leaped down, hissing in anticipation for what was to come. Shuckle cursed as he counted at least a dozen. One immediately helped Scrafty out of the trap, and the others formed a shield around him.

"You can throw all the orbs you want, Shuckle," Scrafty said, relighting his final cigarette. "Not even you could handle all of us."

"We both prepared for this fight, Scrafty," Shuckle growled. "We'll just have to see who planned better."

Shuckle threw a volley of orbs just as Scrafty and the Salazzle darted forward.

0000

Gallade rolled around to avoid the columns of fire that came his way, occasionally shooting off psycho cuts. None of them hit Mega Charizard, who continued to release attacks uninterrupted.

Cursing under his breath, Gallade shifted into an offensive sprint, swinging down his blades as quick and hard as he could. Dragon claws met his tonfas and overcame them, and Gallade was sent stumbling back.

Doing his best to recover, Gallade swung a roundhouse kick that Mega Charizard caught. Letting out a roar, Charizard took the skies and tossed Gallade in the air, before swinging his tail to collide directly with Gallade's stomach. Gallade crashed into the dirt, letting out a howl. He stumbled to his feet and darted forward again, but Charizard ducked to the side and shot a fire blast point blank into Gallade's face. The warrior flew in the air and slammed into a wall, the light of consciousness leaving his eyes the moment he struck it. The poor psychic type tumbled into the lake below with a splash.

Mega Charizard huffed, before taking to the air and launching after Umbreon.

0000

"Ow…. why does everything hurt?"

"Because you were effortlessly demolished by the Mega Evolution you foolishly challenged."

Gallade's ears screeched in pain at the sound of that voice. It was a voice he knew all too well.

"Bisharp."

"Guilty as charged," the knight said, folding his arms. "It's been a long time Gallade. Too long."

"Not long enough," Gallade corrected with a glare. "We both know you're fake."

"In the real world, perhaps," Bisharp said, shrugging. "But in your mind? I've always been very real, and there's no chance I'll ever fully go away, no matter what you were told about me."

"What do you want from me?" Gallade asked bluntly. "Why show up now?"

"I wanted a question answered," Bisharp said. "If I showed up in your world, if I suddenly came to exist, what would you do?"

"Kill you," Gallade said without preamble. "Beat you so bad that you never have a chance to hurt anyone."

"Ah, but that's the old Gallade, yes?" Bisharp asked. "What would the _new_ Gallade do?"

"I…..what?" Gallade asked, suddenly overwhelmed.

"I'm just saying-" Gallade looked over, and started when he saw that Bisharp was replaced by Phione, who smiled at him. "You've improved and changed in so many ways. Why return to your own roots when they lead to your greatest failures?"

"I….I thought I could hold him off…" Gallade admitted, letting out a deep sigh. "I thought I could protect Umbreon."

"Well, that didn't work out, did it?" Phione said, shrugging. "She's still screwed, and you're drowning in a pond."

"….Why are you trying to help me?" Gallade asked. "You were literally the one who traumatized me and turned me into what I am now."

"That's showbiz, Baby!" Phione said with a wink. "And hey, I'm just a figment of your imagination. I wouldn't question it much."

"…. Whatever," Gallade grunted, already feeling himself coming to. "You have a point though. Changing my fighting style is just as important as how I act around others. I don't need to be a berserker to win a fight."

"Atta boy, you're getting it!" Phione exclaimed. "Also, would you consider getting me Spotify? It gets REALLY boring being in your one track brain-"

"Goodbye, Phione," Gallade said, shaking his head and opening his eyes. With a grunt, he burst out of the water, coughing.

"I need to hurry," Gallade said, taking a deep breath of air.

0000

"There it is," Umbreon said, catching sight of Kecleon's shop. She moved as fast as she could, but flames burst out of the ground in front of her, preventing her from going any forward.

"Real original," Umbreon grumbled, rolling her eyes. "Blocking my path seconds before I get to the exit. Like that cliché has never been used before."

"Do you want some cheese with that whine?" Victini's voice, magnified by a megaphone, blared.

"Nah, your show is cheesy enough, thank you very much," Umbreon said.

"…. Hey!"

Blocking out Victini's obnoxious voice, Umbreon turned to face Mega Charizard, who landed in front of her.

"So that's how our rivalry escalates, eh?" Umbreon said, slowly backpedaling. "You as a brainless monster without any restraint? You're pathetic, Charizard."

"I made my bed," Mega Charizard said in a very quiet voice. "Now I have to lie in it. Scrafty is the only one who can keep me in the game now, and he'll only fulfill his end of the bargain if I take you out."

"Short sighted solution, asshole," Umbreon snapped. "What happens when Scrafty betrays you like everyone else? You're going home a coward and a craven."

"My life is over either way," Charizard said gloomily. "This is my best chance of survival. Goodbye."

Umbreon dodged the first jet of fire, rolling behind a cluster of boulders. She launched a shadow ball, but Mega Charizard knocked it aside.

Umbreon cursed. "You should have known when to quit Charizard. Is winning the game worth your entire identity? Sure, it was a shitty, corrupted identity, but at least you HAD beliefs and could function as a leader! How is this better?"

Mega Charizard ignored her, before actually _swallowing_ Umbreon's next shadow ball. He trembled with power, about to release a powerful breath of fire. Umbreon winced and took cover, well aware it wouldn't be nearly enough.

But the attack never came. A psycho cut flew through the air, ripping through dozens of stalactites above Mega Charizard's head. They fell, crashing on Charizard, doing massive advantage to his fire typing.

"GO!" Gallade shouted, sprinting forward. "HE'LL ONLY BE DOWN A MINUTE!"

Umbreon gaped and spun, but only managed to run a few feet before Gallade overtook her and threw her over his shoulder, just as Mega Charizard rose to his feet, roaring and sending chunks of rock anyway.

"Go, go, go, go, go!" Gallade slammed into the door, and both Pokemon rolled into Kecleon's shop.

"Oh," Kecleon said, his face brightening. "More customers? How exciting!"

Before either could respond, a blast of fire exploded into the entire front of the shop. Fire caught on the wares, burning them to cinders. Charizard was looming in front of them, fire already forming in his maw.

Gallade and Umbreon readied themselves for a final stand, but the entire temperature of the room seemed to go down. All the color left Kecleon's face, and he walked forward in a bit of a daze.

"You…you dare damage my property?" Kecleon whispered. "You…. YOU THIEF!"

Kecleon charged down the bemused Charizard, striking him in the stomach. Charizard yowled, clutching his stomach as he collapsed to his knees. Umbreon and Gallade watched in shocked awe as Kecleon kicked Charizard in the face, knocking him on his back, before pouncing on him while he was down.

"This…has been one hell of a day," Umbreon said.

"Yep," Gallade said, his eye wide.

"Should…. should we help him?"

"Yep."

Umbreon watched as Kecleon kicked Charizard hard enough in the face to knock a tooth out. "…. Maybe we could wait a couple minutes. _Really_ make sure he's learned his lesson."

"…. I have no objections."

0000

Shuckle took it back. This was not fun at all.

He threw down a dodge orb, so now he was using string shot to fly around Salazzle, dodging blasts left and right.

"Is this how Gliscor feels?" Shuckle mused as he twirled to avoid a blast of poison. Still, he was running out of orbs, and while some worked well (there was a Salazzle fast asleep, as well as one who was bumping into walls), the Salazzle had learned his tricks and were getting closer to finish him off. Scrafty himself stood along the sidelines, watching carefully for an opening.

"Ready to throw in the towel yet?" Scrafty asked. "Or do you have an orb for that, too?"

"Don't you mock me-ah!" Shuckle yelped as he was finally grazed by a jet of fire. Scrafty walked forward and yanked on the string shot he was using to propel himself around, crashing Shuckle to the ground.

Shuckle rolled to his feet, breathing heavily. Scrafty stood on a rock, watching as eight Salazzle stalked towards him. Shuckle glared, before looking down at the bottom of his bucket. Only two orbs remained.

Shuckle steeled his nerves. There was nothing else for it. With a shout, he used power swap to shift his defenses with his attack power. With a lusty roar, he shot another string shot that spiraled between the Salazzle, and used it as a zip line.

"Oooh, and here Shuckle comes!" Scrafty said in his best commentator voice. "No hesitation at all, he's either a genius or a fool!"

Doing his best to ignore him, Shuckle rammed into a Salazzle, knocking it out easily. He flipped in the air, aiming another string shot at Scrafty, but another Salazzle caught him and dragged him down. The lizards all dogpiled him, and his cries of defiance were soon muffled.

"Is this the end, folks?" Scrafty asked, tossing his knife in his hand. "Or does Shuckle have another trick up his sleeve?"

The Salazzle suddenly let out a grunt as Shuckle spun in his shell, knocking a few back as he bounced out of their range.

"And he does!" Scrafty crowed. "Rapid spin is perfect for getting out of sticky situations!"

"Shut up!" Shuckle shouted, jumping in the air. He spun again, shooting out a rapid-fire stone edge that mowed down the Salazzle with ease. He turned his fire on Scrafty, the stones ripping apart the very boulder he was stationed on. When the smoke cleared, however, Scrafty was gone.

"What….?" Shuckle asked, before feeling a hand grab his neck, tight enough to make him gasp out. The other hand held a knife pointed up to his throat.

"You aren't the only one who knows how to use orbs, bud," Scrafty hissed into Shuckle's ear. "And did you think that power swap trick would work? I don't fall for the same trick twice, and I didn't even fall for it the first time. Now you're vulnerable."

"Wouldn't say that," Shuckle mumbled, popping his head back into his shell as Scrafty swung his knife, missing the strike by half an inch. Shuckle's back legs sprung out from his shell, pushing Scrafty back.

They squared off, Shuckle holding the bucket while Scrafty raised his knife. Sweat beaded down their faces as they moved towards each other.

"Knife beats bucket," Scrafty said, his face twisted into a grimace. "Give it up, Shuckle, or you'll get hurt."

"Not happening," Shuckle growled. "I've been blocking your attacks all day, and I used an evasion orb. You may be faster, but when you miss you'll be unbalanced, leaving your head exposed. I used power swap, so one blow will be enough to knock you out instantly. I'm not challenging you because I want to martyr myself, I'm challenging you because the odds are in my favor. I don't pick fights I can't win."

"Yeah, you're like me," Scrafty said, rolling his eyes. "We've established that."

"No," Shuckle said, his eyes blazing. "I'm really not. Just because we're both intelligent doesn't make us birds of a feather. Enough attacking this insecurity of mine. I'm over it."

"So now you think you're better than me?" Scrafty snapped. "Like you had this huge epiphany that puts you leagues ahead of me?"

"No, I _know_ I'm better than you," Shuckle said. "Because unlike you, I can change, Scrafty. You can improvise, but no matter what you do, no matter what life does for you, you'll revert to that same toxic Scrafty that sabotages others to make you feel better."

"What life _does_ to me?" Scrafty said, and Shuckle watched his knife carefully as Scrafty waved it around. "Look at what life did to me. It doesn't favor the people who do good, so what's the point? Nobody's entitled to everything, everyone ends off dead, so I may as well at least deserve it."

"Your life didn't screw you over!" Shuckle shouted, losing his composure. "You're everything that's wrong with you, so stop blaming everyone else but yourself and actually try improve-"

Scrafty lunged, finally losing his own composure. His careful composure and suave bearing gone. It was just a crazed man that had finally snapped under the weight of his problems, a complete lack of sanity in the man that only valued self-preservation.

Shuckle was ready.

He brought up his bucket to collide with Scrafty's knife, resulting in a screeching noise that made them wish they could rip off their ears. The knife slid along the surface of the bucket and grazed Shuckle's side, drawing blood. Shuckle didn't even wince, using Scrafty's momentum against him. He swung the bucket, slamming it into Scrafty upside the head with all the force he could muster.

Scrafty's eyes widened slightly, as if he realized what had happened. He tried to mutter something, but instead collapsed, out cold. Shuckle looked down at the bucket. It had been dented badly.

Wincing a little at the pain at his side, Shuckle looked down at Scrafty's unconscious form. "I understand you, Scrafty. But that won't stop me from beating you."

Without looking back, he set to climb up the steep cliff, hoping that Umbreon and Gallade had found Kecleon in time.

0000

Umbreon and Scrafty reached the exit of the mystery dungeon first. Because Umbreon arrived a split second before, she was granted immunity by Victini to confirm her seat at the final three. Gallade bit his lip. If Shuckle came in last, there was a chance he might not be safe…

But alas, his fears were unfounded. Shuckle climbed out next, a little hurt but smiling. Gallade nodded, a big smile of relief on his face. Even Umbreon looked reluctantly impressed. Shuckle was soon whisked to the infirmary, where Hariyama assured that his wounds were light and would be dressed in time for the elimination ceremony.

Charizard was the last to arrive, covered in bruises. He collapsed after crossing the finish line, resulting in Hariyama rushing him off to the infirmary as well.

Scrafty, being the final Pokemon left in the mystery dungeon, was automatically eliminated.

"I….I can't believe it, to be perfectly honest," Gallade said over the sandwich he was eating. "One would think Scrafty was a titan."

"Meh, he would have been screwed anyway," Umbreon said with a shrug. "No way would I have voted with him after what he's pulled. He burned way too many bridges and screwed himself over. Shuckle was just the lucky one to get him."

"You call it luck, I call it skill," Shuckle gloated, chomping on his own sandwich. "Man, I feel like a badass."

"You know you have your bib on backwards, right?" Umbreon said in an amused down.

Shuckle looked down. "Oh….shit…"

Gallade cleared his throat. "Well, we're all in agreement of voting off Charizard, yes?"

Umbreon and Shuckle both nodded, and Gallade.

"Then I think it's the three of us for the finale," Gallade said, smiling. "Finally, I can look forward to the next challenge."

 **0000**

" **The most strategic thing to do right now would be to convince Umbreon to vote for Gallade," Shuckle said. "But…I don't want to. Gallade deserves to be here as much as I do, and I'm fully okay with him winning. Sorry Charizard, but I'm not the same person I was when we hit the top ten."**

 **0000**

 **Scrafty sat quietly in the confessional, still smoking that last cigarette. Letting out a disgusted sigh, he stomped out, tossing the dying cigarette behind him. For a moment, the cigarette glowed, but soon it faded into an empty stub.**

 **0000**

"Here we go!" Victini said, floating above the final four, watching their reactions. For once, none of them looked very worried. They all knew who was going home. "You guys know the drill. Umbreon, you have immunity."

"Hey," Charizard said, as Umbreon walked up to get her poke block.

"Yes?" Gallade asked out of the corner of his mouth, flicking his eye in Charizard's reaction.

"I just….I just wanted to apologize," Charizard said, looking down. "For the mega evolution…and….and for the accusation. It was a baseless claim and I hurt you."

"I forgive you then, Charizard," Gallade said with a quiet sigh. "You have enough going on right now, it would be gratuitous not to accept your apology."

"I just don't know where to go from here," Charizard admitted. "My whole life is in shambles."

"You have nowhere to go but up," Gallade said. "And besides, that apology? It was a good step in the right direction. I think you have the capacity to change, unlike….some people we both know."

"Do you…really mean that?" Charizard asked.

"We're not so different," Gallade admitted. "You're already halfway there in accepting it."

Slowly, a small, genuine small appeared on Charizard's face. He looked down, blinking away a few tears.

"Gallade, you're safe as well!" Victini said. Gallade grinned and walked up to get his poke block.

Shuckle and Charizard both watched Victini, completely relaxed. Both were smiling, Shuckle content, Charizard sad and maybe a little hopeful.

"The final poke block goes to….Shuckle."

Shuckle nodded, sucking in his breath and walking up to collect the poke block, leaving Charizard alone in his seat.

"I'd better go then," Charizard said, letting out a deep sigh. "I'm grateful for my time here, Victini. And I'm ready to face the music."

He walked past Umbreon, giving her a nod of respect. Then he took off in the air, disappearing in the night sky.

 **0000**

" **No more time spent on this island would help me," Charizard said. "It feels….it feels like I'm waking up from an eternal nightmare. I have a lot to face, but…I think I'm finally ready to hold my head up high and accept it. Finally, I can do something I'll really feel proud of."**

 **He smiled. "All three of them deserve to win, deep down. I'm leaning towards Gallade. If there's one thing I can say that I learned, it's that prejudices are bullshit."**

 **0000**

" _Raise a glass to freedom!"_ Shuckle sang, raising his bucket in the air. "Come on guys, join in!"

"I don't sing," Gallade and Umbreon said at the same time.

"You guys have no sense of whimsy." Shuckle pouted.

"Well, don't expect me to go easy on you now that I hate you two a little less than everybody else," Umbreon said. "You two are dead meat."

"Please, I didn't go through all that Scrafty and cannon shooting bullshit to _not win,"_ Shuckle said. "You're on, sister!"

"Please, please!" Gallade said. "Calm down. We all know I'm going to obliterate all of you."

The three friends spent the rest of the night celebrating and joking, eagerly anticipating the challenges to come.

0000

Scrafty FINALLY gets his comeuppance, leaving Shuckle, Gallade, and Umbreon in the final three.

We're really nearing the end with only two chapters to go, and I'm super excited to finally finish off this story. After the next challenge, I'll put up a poll for the finalists for you guys to pick the winner.

Any predictions, comments, questions, and general thoughts are greatly appreciated, and I'll see you guys next chapter!

Charizard: Please review the story guys.

Scrafty: No comment.


	35. Chapter 35: Eat your heart out, Serena

0000

"Well, this is it, Hariyama," Victini said, letting out a deep sigh. "Only two challenges left. We'd better start packing everything up."

"Hariyama will handle it," the sumo wrestler said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Go prepare for challenge."

"Thanks man. Don't know what I would do without you," Victini said, letting out a deep sigh. His show had received critical acclaim, but his box office? No way the show could go any further then a single season. It was a shame, but Victini figured he may as well get on with his life.

"Well…better make this challenge count!" Victini said, punching his fist with a grin.

 **0000**

" **This is it," Gallade said, folding his arms. "The final stretch. A few weeks ago, I would have killed myself if I didn't make it this far. Now I'm surprised that I've gotten the chance. I made a promise that win or lose, I'd do it of my own free will and not as anyone's slave or exploit. Now, here I am. This will be interesting."**

 **0000**

" **Final three," Umbreon said, leaning back in the confessional. Still, she looked conflicted. "I'm not exactly comfortable though. One side I have a tactical genius and a freak of nature on the other. No matter which way I look at it, I'm outclassed. I hate to say it, but I need to…. actually, put an effort in making a plan and putting it into action."**

 **0000**

" **Two left to go, eh?" Shuckle said to himself. "Am I surprised I got this far? Hell yeah. I assumed that if anyone made it to the top in my alliance it would be Munchlax, and once I hit the top ten I'd be screwed over, but I managed to hang in there." He hesitated. "I may or may not win, but to my fans, and uh…I guess my enemies, if I have any? I promise to do my best."**

 **0000**

"THAT'S how you lost your eye?" Shuckle asked, chortling. "That's hilarious."

"Why does everyone laugh when I tell that story!?" Gallade snapped. "It was a traumatizing experience for me!"

"And, funny," Umbreon said, snickering herself.

"Yeah, laugh it up, Fuzzball," Gallade growled.

"Excuse me?" Umbreon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Shuckle shrugged. "We marathoned Star Wars."

"Again?" Umbreon asked.

"Yeah, we started the prequels before Gallade decided he'd just rather watch the original trilogy again," Shuckle said.

"You three are looking chummy," Victini said, floating in front of the table the trio were sitting at. "Enjoying yourselves?"

"Yeah?" Gallade asked.

Shuckle gave Victini a suspicious look. "This feels like a setup for-"

"Well that sucks, because it's time for the next challenge!" Victini said, snapping his fingers.

"…. God dammit," Shuckle said, letting out a deep sigh.

"About time," Umbreon said, giving a wry grin. "If I stay on this island for any longer I'm going to go batshit crazy. I want my damn money!"

"See, Umbreon gets it!" Victini said. "In fact, the final episode is happening tomorrow. We'd better hop to it, because we have a final challenge to set up!"

"Out of curiosity, what is the challenge going to be?" Gallade asked. "I don't like surprises."

"I'm aware," Victini said, chuckling. "And it's good you caught me, because this next challenge is **Sudden Death."**

"…why did you say it like that?" Shuckle asked.

"What?"

"You said 'Sudden Death' all weird and dramatic and bold-"

"Stop breaking the fourth wall."

"I'm just saying it doesn't look very good in prose is all."

"Leave me alone, Shuckle," Victini snapped. "Anyway, head down to the beach. We're going to have a game of spin the bottle."

"I'm not kissing Shuckle," Gallade said, alarmed.

Victini snickered. "Nice joke dude."

"I wasn't trying to be funny."

"Onward! To the beach!"

0000

Gallade, Umbreon, and Shuckle found podiums to sit behind, where they spotted a massive wheel with a literal bottle strapped to it. Each quadrant depicted the face of former contestants, meaning that there were thirty-five quadrants. Victini spun the bottle, and it landed on Sableye's face.

"When we hit the merge, we were left with only competent players," Victini said, floating forward. He was dressed in a purple host outfit, complete with a bow tie. "When we hit the top ten, we were left with the cream of the crop."

Victini snapped, and a spotlight shined on the final three. "Here we have the cream of the cream. You guys have shown time after time that you can bite off more than you can chew and spit again. You survived automatic eliminations, outsmarted geniuses, clubbed down physical titans, and formed bonds that could eliminate even the greatest of threats. But now, we've reached the end. The challenge today is one of both luck and endurance. Each of you in turn will spin the bottle, landing on one of your old friends' portraits. Each of them has constructed a dare for you to survive."

"And if we refuse to do it?" Gallade asked, raising an eyebrow, having a feeling that he already knew the answer.

Victini grinned. "Remember what I said about **Sudden Death!?"**

"Stop saying it like that!" Shuckle protested.

"Stop telling me what to do, _mom!"_ Victini hissed. "But yeah, failure to complete a dare results in immediate automatic elimination, propelling the remain two competitors into the finale."

"This is gonna suck," Umbreon moaned.

"Oh, come now, it's not all bad!" Victini said. "You _do_ have the choice to force the dare on one of your fellows."

"Wait, but then why would we bother taking dares in the first place if we can just do that?" Gallade asked.

"Because it's not like we'd take too kindly to that," Umbreon said, giving him a dark look.

"Not only that, but completing your dares wins you a freebie!" Victini said. "A get out of jail free card for every completed dare."

"I see," Gallade said, falling silent.

"Any other questions?" Victini asked. Nobody responded.

"Good! Shuckle, you're up first! Give it a spin!"

 **0000**

" **I think….my shell's durability could give me an advantage here," Shuckle said, not sounding too sure. "It's probably better to just grin and bear the dares. That way I'll have a few freebies to fend off the particularly nasty ones."**

 **0000**

With a grunt of effort, Shuckle spun the bottle. It didn't go very far.

"Weak dude," Victini said, shaking his head.

"Dude, give me a break! I don't even have opposable thumbs!" Shuckle protested.

"Yeah, yeah," Victini said, rolling his eyes. "Well, looks like you stopped on Swampert."

Shuckle glanced at Swampert's blue face with a hint of unease. He may have been a kind person, but he could be tough when he wanted to be.

"You have to…. climb up a waterfall!" Victini said, grinning. "Sound like fun?"

Shuckle gaped. "I-I can't do that! I'm throwing that at Gallade!"

"Hey!" Gallade snapped. "What's the big idea?"

"You're up then, Gallade!" Victini said, snapping his fingers. Gallade threw Shuckle a murderous look before he followed after him.

"Dude, you better hope he fails," Umbreon said, snickering. "Because if not he's going to screw you over sooooo bad…"

"Shut up, Umbreon," Shuckle grumbled.

 **0000**

" **Okay, maybe not the best start," Shuckle admitted. "But come on, man. I can't handle that. I have stay logical to some extent."**

 **0000**

"So, is there a method I should complete this? Or…." Gallade was looking up the massive waterfall, flinching at the sound of roaring water. This wouldn't be easy.

"Hey man, it didn't specify any rules," Victini said with a shrug. "Knock yourself out. Not literally though, because you'll be automatically eliminated."

Gallade sighed. "Oh joy." Figuring that there was nothing else for it, he dove into the water.

 **0000**

" **So, I see none of us are taking the high road with this challenge," Gallade said, folding his arms. A grin played on his face. "Good to see my final opponents are keeping me on my toes."**

 **0000**

"Wow, Shuckle. You are _screwed_ ," Umbreon said with relish, watching Gallade's dare on the tv screen that Victini had set up.

"I'm…I'm so dead," Shuckle whimpered in agreement.

Gallade was diving up the waterfall like a freaking salmon. He had created a small barrier around him to block some of the water pressure, and his tonfas dug deep in the rock behind the rush of water. It took him a little while, but finally he pushed himself over the cliff, rolling over and spitting out water.

"Gallade completes his challenge!" Victini said. "Umbreon, you can spin while Gallade makes his way back."

"Sure," Umbreon said, walking over. "I already finished writing my own obituary, so what's the harm?"

She gave the bottle a much stronger spin then Shuckle had, and she eyed it with a satisfied grin. It landed on Audino.

"Hah," Umbreon said, shaking her head with a grin. "As if _she_ could come up with anything scary."

"You may want to eat those words," Victini said, reading Audino's card. "Your dare is to…. dive into a pool full of gross, slimy bug type Pokemon.

Umbreon gaped.

 **0000**

" **Audino, what the hell!?" Umbreon shouted.**

 **0000**

"So," Victini said, gesturing to a baby pool full of Caterpie and Venonat. "You going to jump in, or give it to someone else?"

Umbreon took a deep sigh. "I'll…. I'll do it."

"Really?" Victini asked. "No backlash? No complaints or mockery?"

"I just want to get it over with," Umbreon said, padding over to the pool. With a deep breath, she jumped into the pool, throwing up a pile of Kakuna. A moment she burst out, gasping.

"Umbreon completes her dare as well!" Victini said, clapping politely. "You win a freebie!"

"I better get one," Umbreon hissed as she walked back to her podium, spitting out a Weedle. "Gross."

"Gallade, you're next!" Victini said to the psychic type just as he returned.

"I don't care what it is," Gallade said darkly as he grabbed the bottle. "Just give it to Shuckle."

"Hey!"

Gallade spun the bottle by far the hardest out of the three competitors. It landed on Pidgey.

"Your dare is…..to watch _Grave of the Fireflies_ without crying," Victini said, reading aloud.

"What the hell is that?" Gallade asked Umbreon who shrugged.

"No, no, no!" Shuckle said, panicking. "Son of a bitch, not!"

"Good luck Shuckle!" Victini said, teleporting him to the entertainment shack.

 **0000**

 **Shuckle blew his nose. "I h-h-ate that movie!"**

 **0000**

"So, wait, if that's a two-hour movie," Umbreon said, thinking to herself. "How long do we have to stay here?"

"Knowing Shuckle, he won't make it fifteen," Gallade said in an offhand voice. "By the way…"

"Yeah?" Umbreon asked, raising her eyebrow.

"If Shuckle survives this, would you maybe want to work together to take him out?" Gallade asked. "I like the guy, but he's a threat."

"Ha! Yeah, and like facing _you_ in the finale is any better," Umbreon said, shaking her head. "Nice try, but I'm not that easy to please, and you're not exactly convincing."

 **0000**

" **I can't tell if she's complimenting me or insulting me," Gallade said, confused.**

 **0000**

A few minutes later, Victini returned with Shuckle. "Well, he made it. Technically."

"Wait, but how?" Umbreon asked. "That was supposed to be a full length movie."

"Duh, we sped up time," Victini said as if it were obvious. "I'm a legendary, I can do it."

Shuckle was shivering, but gave Gallade and Umbreon a crazed grin. "I sucked my tears back in."

"Shuckle, I'm not sure if that's healthy," Umbreon said, looking a little concerned.

"Okay, Shuckle, you're up again," Victini said. "Give that bottle a spin."

Shuckle spun it a little harder this time, and it landed on Donphan. "He was a quirky guy, so this will probably be pretty interesting."

"Ho!" Victini said, shaking his head. "You need to read out loud the entire script of Othello in your very best Shakespeare voice."

Shuckle grinned at Gallade, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"You son of a bitch," Gallade hissed.

 **0000**

" **This means war, Shuckle," Gallade snarled.**

 **0000**

" **Bring it, blades boy!" Shuckle shouted.**

 **0000**

"Think he'll do it?" Umbreon asked, nudging Shuckle. Victini had teleported them to a large Amphitheatre with hundreds of seats. Gallade was standing on the stage, clearing his throat.

"Well, we're the finalists if he doesn't," Shuckle said. "Honestly the decision to give this dare was more for comedic purposes then strategic ones."

"Okay, Gallade!" Victini said, tapping on his watch. "You done memorizing? Clock's ticking!"

"End me now," Gallade said through gritted teeth.

"That's the spirit, Rodrigo!" Victini said. "Now get cracking!"

 **0000**

" **We psychics have a photographic memory," Gallade said. "So, the memorization wasn't so bad. My issue is that my voice now feels like gasoline crawling down my throat."**

 **0000**

"Wow, Gallade! Word for Word! You did your dare!"

"Going to…kill you…." Gallade rasped, giving Shuckle an evil look. Shuckle looked away, whistling.

Victini teleported the final three back to the beach, where Umbreon was told to spin her bottle. She gave it another strong spin, and it landed on Ampharos.

"You need to…go crabbing," Victini said. "Catch a crab."

"Crabbing?" Umbreon asked, raising an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound to-"

A massive Kingler fell from the sky, landing on Umbreon's chest. Umbreon yet out a yelp of pain.

"What the hell, Victini?" Umbreon shouted. "I didn't even agree to it yet!"

"Sorry Umbreon," Victini said with a sideways grin. "Itchy trigger finger. Have fun!"

Umbreon and Kingler rolled away, growling at each other.

"Well, she has until her next turn to take that thing down," Victini said, looking at Shuckle and Gallade. "If not, she's eliminated, and the way you two are looking at each other, I kind of hope it happens. It'd be a fun finale. Gallade, spin next."

Gallade walked over, spinning the bottle. It landed on Scrafty.

"Spend twenty minutes alone with Mega Sableye," Victini said. "Too bad that neither of you are Misdreavus."

"Shuckle," Gallade said lazily. Shuckle flipped him the bird behind his back.

"Charming," Gallade said, rolling his eyes.

"Do I need to do more rude hand gestures to get the point across? I take requests."

"Just get in the crate Shuckle," Victini said, lifting the crate in question with his mind.

"Wait who said anything about a cr-" Victini interrupted Shuckle by throwing him into the crate.

Victini leaned in close, pressing his ear against the crate. He grinned when he heard tell tale sounds of banging and Shuckle's screams.

 **0000**

 **Mega Sableye licked his lips. "** _ **Shuckle has a veeery interesting digestive system. Oh how I love rocks."**_

 **0000**

" **B-but it's a shell, not a rock," Shuckle whimpered. "Scrafty, why must you hurt me even in the afterlife?"**

 **0000**

"COOKIE! COOKIE!"

"STOP SAYING THAT!" Umbreon snarled.

"Okay," Victini said, setting a timer. "We'll give Umbreon a few minutes before-"

CRACK!

A minute later, Umbreon walked over, dragging a massive claw in her hand.

"I trust that this will suffice?" Umbreon asked, her eye twitching.

"Y-yep," Victini said, laughing nervously. "You win another freebie!

"Joy."

They waited for Shuckle to complete his challenge, which he managed, though he was twitchy and paranoid as a result.

"Your turn to spin, Shuckle," Victini said. Shuckle took a deep breath. He raised an eyebrow when it landed on Munchlax.

"Eat a three-course meal in less than five minutes?" Shuckle shook his head with a deep sigh. "This must be like porn for him."

Umbreon let out a noise of revulsion as Victini chuckled.

"That being said, have fun Gallade!" Shuckle said brightly.

"Hold on, guys!" Victini said, before Gallade could sock Shuckle in the mouth. "I think you two might be missing the point of the challenge a little. You could try, I don't know, taking the dare yourself? Or throw a few at Umbreon?"

"Shh," Umbreon said, giving Victini a severe look. "I'm satisfied with this."

Victini rolled his eyes. "I know _you_ are."

"I appreciate and have processed what you just said, and it has value to me," Shuckle said. "But I insist you hand this dare over to Gallade."

"I'll show YOU my appreciation by punching you in the mouth," Gallade growled.

"Sorry, Gallade," Victini said with a shrug. "It's ultimately Shuckle's decision."

 **0000**

 **Gallade folded his arms. "Shuckle is a worthy opponent, and I can say I'm enjoying myself."**

 **He glared into the camera. "It won't stop me from grinding him into dust."**

 **0000**

" **While I learned to actually fend for myself and apply myself physically, Gallade's learned to be more analytical and strategic," Shuckle said, thinking to himself. "We're both opposites, but we've managed to meet in the middle. This is the kind of person I always wanted as a rival."**

 **0000**

" **Aaaand I'll keep sliding on by, straight into the final two," Umbreon said, giving the camera a wink. "For such smart guys, they can be pretty stupid."**

 **0000**

And so, the challenge continued. Shuckle and Gallade both refused to back down, throwing increasingly difficult tasks at each other as the game began to stretch for hours. Though both accomplished all their tasks, it was clear that Gallade had the advantage in them. Shuckle thus became smarter, specifically rolling his bottle on the more underhanded campers like Sableye and Zorua, to pick dares that pulled Gallade out of his comfort zone.

When Victini announced an hour break, both Shuckle and Gallade looked extremely worn. Gallade, usually in a state of control, was breathing haggardly, leaning on his blade without noticing it was stabbing into the podium. Shuckle, on the other hand, was covered in more sweat then he ever had in his entire life.

"We've been going for THREE hours, and none of you are backing down," Victini said, shaking his head in amazement. "We've seen Gallade be electrocuted, Shuckle tarred and feathered, and Umbreon swimming in Sharpedo infested water. We've done half of the dares, so I figure we can take a break before doing the other half. I have a special treat for you guys."

Umbreon grinned broadly, stretching herself. She had ten freebies, which essentially won her the challenge. "While you two were having that dick measuring contest I'm pretty sure I just won immunity."

Shuckle and Gallade both turned to look at her. "What!?"

"Yeah, Umbreon's going to be tough to beat at this point. Let's give her immunity to make it official. Umbreon, you're in the final two."

Umbreon let out a squeal of joy, before somehow looking green and red at the same time. "I…. ugh….I did not just do that…."

"Gallade, Shuckle, one of you will compete with her in the finals, and one of you will not. Rest up now, because this second half is going to be intense."

Shuckle and Gallade both exchanged a nervous glance. They hadn't expected someone else to be safe so soon!

"Did Victini just do this to light a fire in their bellies?" Hariyama asked with a knowing grin.

"Maaaaybe," Victini said. "Anyway, this surprise is for all three of you, so Umbreon, you head to the cafeteria as well. You're welcome in advance!"

"What do you think it is?" Shuckle asked Gallade who shrugged.

"Knowing Victini? A twist to mess with the challenge even further."

 **0000**

" **Here I am, final two!" Umbreon said. "Make sure to vote for me, or…. whatever…"**

 **0000**

Gallade kicked the door open, entering with Shuckle and Umbreon. All three gasped at the sight in front of them.

Munchlax and Bidoof looked up from the game of checkers they were playing and grinned. Grovyle was leaning against the counter, looking a little awkward as well.

"What are you guys-" Before Shuckle could finish his sentence he was tackled by Munchlax and Bidoof in a group hug. Grovyle walked over to Gallade a bit uncertain. She held up her hand to shake Gallade's, but he wrapped her in a tight hug.

"'Missed you," he mumbled into her shoulder.

"Surprise!" Victini shouted, teleporting into the room. "You guys have a couple hours to spend with some old friends, and they'll even help out in the challenge ahead."

"Wait, so why does Shuckle have two?" Umbreon asked. "And why don't I have _any?"_

Bidoof grinned at her.

Umbreon's eyes widened. "No."

"Heck yes, princess!" Bidoof said. "Le's get this rodeo started!"

"No, no, no-"

Grovyle cleared her throat, and Gallade let go of her, coughing awkwardly.

"So, um," Grovyle said, looking down.

"Sorry about that," Gallade said, scratching the back of his head. "I'm still getting used to physical contact and…not repressing emotions and stuff."

"It's fine," Grovyle said with an easy grin. "I enjoyed it."

"Et tu, Bidoof?" Shuckle asked, tears in his eyes.

"Er…sorry, Shuckle," Bidoof said. "Each player can only have one ally…"

"Wait, so why is it you and not Sylveon?" Umbreon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She offered!" Bidoof said. "I punched her in the mouth!"

"And like that you've earned my respect," Umbreon said with a wry smile. "Let's go for a walk."

"Yeeehaw!"

"Did you…. have anything planned?" Gallade asked. "I'm sorry, it's so short noticed I…."

Grovyle smiled. "I'd like to visit memory lane for a bit, I suppose."

0000

"So, howzit feel to be in the final two?" Bidoof asked as he bounded alongside Umbreon. "Excited?"

"As excited as I can be, I suppose," Umbreon said. "Being rich sounds pretty awesome."

"What will you do with the money?" Bidoof asked curiously.

"…you wouldn't care about that," Umbreon said, suddenly guarded.

"Heck yeah, I would. Come on, spill it!" Bidoof said, grinning up at Umbreon, who rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but not until you answer a question of mine first."

"Deal!"

Umbreon let out a deep sigh. "No bullshit. Why do you like me so much? I'm hardly a fun person."

"Aww easy answer," Bidoof said, looking let down. "I like our dynamic. I figger if someone like me is friends with someone like you, we'll have a good balance. Me 'n Infernape being friends would be like sugarcoated honey."

"Wait, really? That's the reason you're attracted to me?" Umbreon asked. "Because we're so different?"

Bidoof nuzzled up to Umbreon's leg. "Yeah."

Umbreon raised an eyebrow and gave a bemused grin. "Okay? I guess I can live with that."

"So…. what are ya spendin' money on?" Bidoof asked, looking excited.

"Alright, cool your jets," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. "I was hoping to use the money to pay for my education. I always kinda wanted to be a psychiatrist. Hard to imagine, I know."

"I can picture it!" Bidoof said. "Ooh, you should get glasses for the job. You'd look real pretty in them."

Umbreon gaped a little, before shaking her head and chuckling. "I shouldn't have underestimated you, Bidoof. Thanks for the support."

 **0000**

" **I like the idea of getting paid to deal drugs and tell everybody what I think is wrong with them," Umbreon said with a wicked grin. "Plus, eh, I've been told I've been very perceptive."**

 **0000**

"YOU'RE GOING TO JOIN THE NAVY!?"

"Ow, Munchlax, this is a very small room," Shuckle said with a wince. "And I told you, I'm still considering it."

"But why?" Munchlax asked. "I thought we were going to be a real band? We need a drummer!"

"Get Plusle to do it?" Shuckle asked, cursing himself as Munchlax won another match of Street Fighter. He had forgotten how good the little bear was at video games. He had been spoiled by how crappy Gallade had been at them.

"Dude, she's about as musically inclined as a deaf Psyduck," Munchlax said. "What's this even about?"

"I've gotten a LOT of letters that want me to pursue military tactics," Shuckle said. "At this point I'm not so sure I can just go back to ordinary life after an experience like this show. It's somehow a really scary thought."

"Well, do what you want man," Munchlax said with a sigh. "We'd just miss you."

"I know," Shuckle said. "Maybe what happened to Scrafty scares me a little, I don't know. I don't want to fall in the same hole as he did."

"Well, what if you win the competition?" Munchlax asked. "What will you do with the money?"

Shuckle shrugged. "Give it to Bidoof. His family's been struggling financially for ages. I never wanted to win for the money. More for the reputation that comes with it."

"You are so weird," Munchlax said, rolling his eyes.

"I know," Shuckle said with a deep sigh.

"So, change of topic," Munchlax said. "How are you going to take on Gallade?"

"He's tough," Shuckle said, gritting his teeth. "It's weird, but I've never been closer to being eliminated then I am now, but I'm not really scared or tense at all."

"Well, don't give up!" Munchlax said, alarmed. "You've put so much into this and lost way too much to lose now!"

"Oh, I don't plan to," Shuckle explained. "But…. well, with Scrafty, I would never have been able to forgive myself if I left before he did. Now I don't feel that way. I'll fight to stay in with all that I am, but if I lose at this point and Gallade and Umbreon fight in the finale? Eh, I can take it. I won't love the feeling of going home, but I'll be satisfied to some extent."

"And hey, if you go home, you can come back with Bidoof and I!" Munchlax said. "We can surprise everybody back home with a hit song!"

"Yeah," Shuckle said, casting a look at the dock. "That would be great."

"But, that doesn't mean I don't think you can't win!" Munchlax suddenly said, noticing his faux pas. "You said it yourself to Scrafty! You don't pick fights you can't win."

"You think I have a chance? He's tough," Shuckle said, a bit gloomily.

"Hell yeah!" Munchlax said. "You're a winner! Now roar for me!"

"Eh?"

"Give me your war face!" Munchlax said. "Come on. GROOOOAAAAH!"

"Munchlax you're beginning to concern me," Shuckle said, blinking nervously.

"ROAR WITH ME NOW!"

"Okay, fine! Sheesh!

0000

Gallade and Grovyle spent their time taking a long walk around the island, visiting Gallade's old hamlet, the baseball diamond, and even the mines that Mega Sableye had taken refuge in. Eventually, they arrived at a ledge hanging over the water below, their feet dangling over the side.

"Probably not long before I'm called back," Gallade grunted.

"You nervous?" Grovyle asked with a sideways glance.

"No."

"You're a liar."

"Fine. A little. Not as much as you'd think though."

"Yeah?"

"I've come to terms with the outcome either way," Gallade said shortly. "I'll find a way to prove myself in another way if I can't win this game."

"Oh Gallade," Grovyle said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. "You already have. Everyone back home thinks so."

"Really?" Gallade asked in a whisper. "You too?"

Grovyle nodded.

"That's….a relief," Gallade admitted, and his shoulders sagged. "To know that not everything I've done was for nothing."

"Gallade, what's most important is whether _you_ think you've proved yourself. Don't use other people to judge your merits. Would you be proud of yourself even if you lose today?"

Gallade shrugged. "I have to think about it."

"Not like I'm letting you lose though either," Grovyle said, nudging him. "You deserve it more than anybody I know."

"Well, I don't plan on choking now." Gallade got to his feet. "Shuckle, despite his appearance, has probably been the deadliest player I've ever been up against. I'll have to be equal to the challenge."

Victini's voice was presently heard on the mega phone, announcing that the remaining competitors should return to the beach, where the rest of the challenge would be held.

"Go get 'em, tiger!" Grovyle shouted, as Gallade made his way down the winding road back to camp.

 **0000**

" **Man, it is** _ **so**_ **much more fun being a spectator then a participant," Umbreon said, chortling.**

 **0000**

"Okay you two," Victini said, looking at Shuckle and Gallade, who were at their respective podiums. Umbreon and the eliminated campers sat in beach chairs, eager to see who else would be competing in the finale. "We're at the final stretch, and you two are so stubborn that I think it would be best to nip this in the bud here instead of dragging it on for another three hours. So, I'll give you both an advantage."

"Advantage?" Gallade asked.

"Instead of spinning the wheel, I'll let one of you pick three of the remaining campers' spaces to reveal the challenge behind them. Take what you know about each camper to heart; they may have a challenge that could screw you over or give you a massive advantage! The other gets to pick out of the three, so choose carefully!"

"I'll pick the campers," Gallade said, shrugging. "Give me Charizard, Machamp, and Electivire."

Shuckle cursed under his breath. He had specifically chosen campers who would give physical based challenges.

"Good choices, Gallade," Victini said, before he looked over their respective cards. "Machamp challenges you two to wrestle to determine who gets the spot, Machamp wants an archery competition, and Electivire wants a single set of tennis. Oh, and you're not allowed to use any moves or special abilities."

Shuckle gaped. How could he win at any of these?

"Well, he's screwed!" Bidoof said, nudging Munchlax. "Better go root for Umbreon."

"Pick archery, Shuckle!" Munchlax said. "His blades are no good for it."

"Is that a risk you want to take?" Gallade asked, a predatory grin growing on his face. "Pick your poison, Shuckle."

Shuckle took a deep breath.

 **0000**

" **I'm not throwing away my shot," Shuckle said. "I stand no chance in wrestling and I can't aim a bow for shit. I have one last plan, but it has a lot of flaws, and there's no making up for it if I screw up."**

 **0000**

"Tennis. It's really my only option."

Gallade's eyebrow rose.

"Shuckle, No!" Munchlax shouted. "You don't have the mobility for it!"

Shuckle gritted his teeth. "I know."

"Final answer?" Victini asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Shuckle said after a minute. "As I said, it's my best bet."

"I have no objections," Gallade said, his half grin still on his face. "May the best man win, Shuckle."

 **0000**

" **Truth be told, I've always admired tennis," Gallade said, nodding in respect. "I could never afford to play, but I know it requires skill not unlike a warrior's battle style."**

 **He hesitated. "I can't underestimate Shuckle, knowing him, he already has a plan. I just have to overwhelm him before he can fall back on it."**

 **00000**

"Okay, so the tennis courts are impressive," Shuckle admitted. "But where the heck did you get it?"

"Unova," Victini said lazily. "Anyway, since Shuckle picked, Gallade is serving. Head to your respective positions!"

Shuckle crawled over between the service and base line, biting his lip, facing Gallade diagonally. Gallade was bouncing the tennis ball off his racket, giving Shuckle a beady look.

"Alright, Serena Williams," Shuckle said, narrowing his eyes. "Hit me with your best shot."

"We're only doing one set!" Victini said. "Rally it up!"

Munchlax, Bidoof, and Grovyle had gotten a few bags of chips, and were arguing over who would win the match. Umbreon sat a little away, watching the setup with interest. Would Shuckle be able to weasel out himself out of this once again? Or would Gallade demolish him?

Gallade threw the ball high in the air as Shuckle tensed, pleading in his heart of hearts that he had made the right choice.

Gallade spiked the ball down-past the base line?

"Wh-what?" Gallade asked.

"You get a second serve!" Victini announced, though an eyebrow was arched in confusion. "You doing okay there, buddy?"

"I-I'm fine," Gallade said, flabbergasted. Shuckle hid a smile.

Gallade threw the ball in the air and served it much lighter, but this one went wide and hit the doubles alley. He cursed himself as Victini announced that the score was Love-fifteen. Gallade cursed himself as they switched sides.

Munchlax and Bidoof cheered as Grovyle looked on in horror. "Could his aim really be that bad?"

"He only has one eye," Umbreon said in realization. "Depth perception is very important in tennis, and that's what Shuckle was going for. It doesn't matter whether he's the better athlete if he can't aim serves or return shots."

Gallade served again, once again spiking it, but he hit the net. The second try, perhaps by sheer luck, he managed to hit it in the right spot. Unfortunately, that meant that it was a light shot that went right to Shuckle, who hit as hard as he could to the singles sideline, forcing Gallade to sprint at it. The psychic type managed it, but he hit it too hard and it sailed over the base line again.

"Love-thirty!" Victini announced, causing Munchlax and Bidoof to erupt into cheers again.

"Now Shuckle has Gallade feeling pressured," Hariyama explained to Grovyle. "Gallade could have won that point, but he choked."

Grovyle looked up to Gallade, who was looking extremely surly. "Gallade! Stay calm! The game isn't over yet!"

Gallade blinked, recognizing her voice. He took a deep breath. "Thank you. I'm fine now."

Sweat beaded Shuckle's face. His heart was leaping into his throat. He was _so close._

Gallade served the ball again, but while he could get it to Shuckle his aim was still shaky. Shuckle took the easy shot and forced Gallade to dive for it again. Gallade actually managed to return it this time, but Shuckle was waiting for him and volleyed it before the warrior could balance himself.

"Love-forty."

Here they were.

One more point, and Gallade would be eliminated. He'd lose the game and leave the finale to Shuckle and Umbreon. It could all be over with a single serve.

A wave of calm passed over him. He closed his other eye and tossed the ball in the air, slamming it down with all of his might. Shuckle couldn't return the shot, making the score fifteen-forty.

"Oh, shit," Munchlax said, slapping himself in the face. "He's catching on."

"YES!" Grovyle shouted.

Gallade took a deep breath. It wasn't like he had breathing room, but it was _something._ He served the ball again, once again succeeding in landing a vicious shot. This time however, Shuckle returned it, albeit barely. Taking a leaf out of Shuckle's book, Gallade hit the shot to Shuckle's opposite side. He landed the point, but winced as he noticed that he misjudged the shot and only barely made the point. Another misstep like that and the game would be over.

The score was 30-40. Shuckle gritted his teeth, feeling a tight knot in his stomach. All he needed was one more point, but Gallade had hit his stride.

Gallade's first serve barely missed the court, so his second attempt was much lighter and better controlled. Shuckle managed to return it, hitting it once again over to the Singles Sidelines.

Gallade's eye widened and he sprinted for the ball, getting there in time. He knocked it down the Ad Court, forcing Shuckle to dive for it.

"He isn't going to make it!" Bidoof shouted.

But he was proven wrong. Letting out a roar of frustration and effort, Shuckle hit the ball before he slid on the court, and it barely managed to hit the other side above the service line. Gallade rushed to hit it back but he was off again, and hit it in Shuckle's range. Shuckle scrambled to his feet and, with pure adrenaline, smacked the ball over to the baseline.

Gallade hissed and sprinted back just as the ball bounced on the base line and flew high in the air, in danger of hitting the wall behind it. Gallade poured on the speed, smacking the ball from behind his head before slamming into the wall himself.

The ball soared high in the air above the service line, and Shuckle jumped in the air to meet it. He made to slam the ball down with his racket, but instead gave it a very light tap. The ball hit the back of the net and bounced twice in front of the service line before Gallade could even close half the distance.

"GAME! SET! MATCH! SHUCKLE IS THE WINNER OF THE TENNIS MATCH AND HIS SPOT IN THE FINAL TWO!"

"I mean technically it's just Set, "Umbreon said, rolling her eyes.

Shuckle let out a massive breath of relief, flopping down on the court. Was he crying? He couldn't even tell.

"Good game, Shuckle," Gallade said, looking over him. He held out a hand to help Shuckle up, and he accepted it. "You were a wonderful opponent."

"You too man," Shuckle said, shaking Gallade's hand. "That was the most fun I've had in a long time."

"Well," Gallade said as Grovyle put on a hand on his shoulder. "I guess that's that then."

"No hard feelings, right?" Shuckle suddenly said, knitting his eyebrows. "Are we cool?"

"We're…er…'cool'…" Gallade said, scratching the back of his head. "To be honest, more than anything it's a relief."

Umbreon walked over putting an arm around the both. "Good show, boys. Now I know how to kick your ass in the finale, Shuckle."

"Hahaha," Shuckle said, giving her a nervous look. She walked off, leaving Shuckle coughing awkwardly.

"She scares me a little," Shuckle mumbled.

"Me too…" Gallade whispered.

 **0000**

" **End of an era," Gallade grunted. "Before I would have never forgiven myself if I hadn't won the game. Now I'm fine with it. This spells the first chapter of my new life, and I don't have to start out as a rich man."**

 **He shrugged. "Between Shuckle and Umbreon, I'll give a slight edge to Shuckle. You can't marathon the Original Trilogy twice together without becoming close friends. You were also a great rival. Good luck."**

 **0000**

Gallade waved to Shuckle and Umbreon, the boat beginning to put distance away from the dock.

"Okay, what gives?" Grovyle asked, grinning. "Why are you in such a good mood? You do realize you lost, right?"

"Yes," Gallade said, his smile never fading. "I'm proud for myself. I used to worry if I would be able to take losing in my stride and move on from it."

He turned around, giving her a wide smile. "Now I know the answer."

 **0000**

" **Wow, here I am," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. "Time to kick ass and take names. Vote for me. Woo."**

 **0000**

" **I'm….in the final two," Shuckle said, looking a little clammy. "Oh man….I didn't realize how much pressure this would be. Okay Shuckle…deep breaths…don't think about all the people riding all their hopes and dreams at you. Hooooly shit."**

 **0000**

"Where have you been?" Victini asked, raising an eyebrow. "I set up the challenge and packed up….all by myself!"

Hariyama let out a deep sigh. "Shuckle had a panic attack. Hariyama caught him beating his head against the confessional wall. Also, Victini doing his own work? Very impressive growth."

"Oh, shut up," Victini grumbled. "Listen, I'm going to need you to head back to Loser's Island tomorrow. We're going to involve them in the final challenge."

"Really?" Hariyama asked. "What for?"

"You are kidding?" Victini asked. "We get _way_ higher ratings when it's a full cast episode. We're going to make a fucking mint."

"If you say so," Hariyama said with a shrug. "They won't be very happy. They think they're done."

"Too bad! One more day in their contract. Their butts are mine. Now come on, Hariyama!" Victini shouted, flying back to the big house. "I have a LOT planned for our season finale."

Hariyama sighed and shook his head. "He's nothing if not earnest."

0000

Hope you enjoyed. We now have our final two, so this next chapter will be the last of the story.

It's been a crazy ride, I've gotten lovely fans and even lovelier haters, but all good things must come to an end.

There is an elephant in the room, though, and that's my choice for finalists. I'm sure nobody will argue too hard about her elimination, considering she was a fan favorite. Shuckle, on the other hand…

Just to be clear beforehand, I'm not trying to generalize my fans. Most of you are great and understanding. This is just to the very, _very_ small number of people that disliked Shuckle because of my account name and how far he got.

I thought about this, but honestly, yes, you do have a point. I _am_ biased, very much so. Just like every writer. And that's fine, because I'm allowed to be. I'm the writer, and ultimately, despite how much I love the reviewers, my vision for the story is far more important then pleasing you.

If you're truly disgusted with the thought of Shuckle winning, then rejoice! The winner will be decided by poll. Vote for Umbreon. If Shuckle ends up winning the show, then that will because audiences loved him enough to grant him that. The winner is beyond my control at this point.

Also, my old collaborator, Fire Slash, has released a spinoff about a new perspective of Pokkemon Island, this time from Gliscor. Basically, a what-if scenario, and it's really fun. Check it out!

Gallade: Review. I have nothing else to say.


	36. Chapter 36: Shuckle versus Umbreon!

0000

Victini floated in front of the camera, donning a party hat. "Welcome folks, to the final episode of Total Pokkemon Island!"

He was leaning against the totem that marked the location of the campfire, and he used his psychic powers to move around the camera 360 degrees to view the entire island.

"We began with thirty six-"

"Thirty-seven!" Hariyama hissed from his hiding spot.

"-Thirty-seven contestants, all bright eyed and bushy tailed for the chance to win millions of dollars. Over the last few months, that number has grown increasingly smaller and smaller as drama, strategy, and alliances were forged and broken, until now, when we've reached the final two contestants: Shuckle and Umbreon."

Images of both players appeared above Victini's head.

"Shuckle, though small and rather unimpressive physically, proved to have a keen mind and won quite a few challenges with it. He managed to form three alliances and survived their respective terminations. He's credited with the defeat of several key players, including the legendary Scrafty.

"Umbreon is a bit of a different case. She didn't seem to be the greatest physically or intellectually but proved a genius at staying under the radar. She was able to avoid the many feuds and rivalries that formed in the game and rode that wave all the way to the top. Could she be this game's dark horse?"

Images began to play of the two finalists; Shuckle crashing a plane, Umbreon dancing in a Pokemon contest, both Pokemon tying to win immunity with Munchlax and Infernape, Shuckle with a beard...

Victini wiped away a tear at the final image of Umbreon and Infernape screaming at the top of their lungs about clapping their hands and believing. "We've seen both these players bite off more than they can chew and spit it back out again, but it's high time one triumphed as the true winner of Total Pokkemon Island! Now let's see what our finalists are up to, shall we?"

0000

"You figured out that combo then, huh," Shuckle grumbled as he dropped his controller. "What, did you spend the entire time at the loser resort playing video games?"

Munchlax blinked. "Basically."

Shuckle sighed. "Well played I guessed."

Munchlax rubbed his arm a little awkwardly. Shuckle had been a little off since he defeated Gallade. He hated to be the one to bring it up, but-

"Are you feeling okay?" Munchlax asked. "You haven't really been yourself lately."

"I'll be fine," Shuckle said, shrugging. "I'm just nervous about the finale. I don't want to let you guys down."

"Hey, you're a better player than the rest of our alliance," Munchlax argued. "Sure, you've made mistakes, but who hasn't?"

"I guess you're right," Shuckle admitted. "Have you ever been alone in your thoughts for a long time?"

"I'm an introvert, so yes," Munchlax replied.

"Well, when you do, you start imagining the worst and get yourself freaked out over nothing," Shuckle said. "Since there are so few of us left, I've had a lot of time to myself, and lately I can't get over my own head."

"Well, I'm here now, dude," Munchlax said, patting Shuckle's shell. "Let's do something fun before the last challenge, okay?"

Shuckle nodded. "Thank you, Munchlax. I just want off this stupid island. If I stay here any longer I'm going to go out of my mind."

"FINALISTS! THE LAST DANCE WILL HAPPEN OVER AT THE CAMPFIRE! GET YOUR BUTTS OVER THERE NOW!" Victini roared via intercom.

"Speak of Giratina." Shuckle cursed under his breath. "We aren't very fast, so we'd better get going. How open are you to giving me a piggyback ride?"

Munchlax sighed. "Hop on."

 **0000**

" **Well, it looks like there isn't much more time," Shuckle said. "Umbreon's no pushover; she's won a handful of challenges and knows how to be pretty underhanded, outlasting the toughest opponents in the show. I mean, so did I, but she did it without revealing her entire hand."**

 **0000**

"…Why aren't you hanging around with your other friends?" Umbreon asked, blowing a puff of air. She had found one of Scrafty's many packs of cigarettes after his departure and spent the weekend putting it to use.

"You look like you could use the company?" Bidoof asked, giving her a bright smile. "C'mon why are you complainin'? Aren't we buddies?"

"Fine, we're buddies, but they're way better company then I could ever be," Umbreon said. "Aren't you bored?"

Bidoof thought for a moment. "Nah. You're pretty and funny. Do I need another excuse?"

Umbreon gave him an odd glance. "I guess not."

Victini's voice roared over the intercom, ordering the finalists to assemble at the campfire. Umbreon hissed and perked her ears in annoyance.

"Well lovely. It's about time we ended this stupid season."

"Are ya excited to win?" Bidoof asked brightly, as they walked to the campfire ceremony.

"Bitch, I _better_ win after what I've gone through," Umbreon growled under her breath. "If the last few months were a complete waste of time I'm blowing someone's brains out."

 **0000**

" **Shuckle won't go down easy," Umbreon muttered. "If I want any chance at winning I'm going to have to catch him off guard. Hopefully whatever challenge Victini comes up with involves something I can exploit to screw him over."**

 **0000**

Umbreon, Bidoof, Muchlax, and Shuckle arrived at the campfire, which was vacant save for Victini. The host was floating in front of his usual podium with a wicked grin. The seats were divided into two sections, one with Umbreon's face, and the other with Shuckle's.

"Umbreon, Shuckle. Welcome to your final challenge."

Umbreon glanced around. "There are a lot more cameras than usual."

"Well duh, this is a momentous occasion!" Victini said. "The last episode of our series. Our viewer count is through the roof, so we better not keep them waiting. But first…. who wants a stroll down memory lane?"

Shuckle looked confused, before staring at the docks in surprise. A massive cruise liner arrived at the island, and the entire cast of eliminated campers began to pile out.

"Let's get in our proper order," Victini said, as the cast stumbled to the camp totem. "Sit down when I call your name. Talonflame, Smeargle, and Pidgey!"

Talonflame gave the two a cocky grin before flapping over to Umbreon's section, settling down. Smeargle gave a roguish smile and hopped up on Shuckle's, followed by a squawking Pidgey.

"Electivire, Haxorus, Machamp, and Gliscor."

Electivire stomped up to Shuckle's section, folding his arms, while Haxorus walked over to Umbreon's. Machamp and Gliscor both climbed up to Umbreon's section, though Gliscor offered them both congratulations.

"Let's see…. ah yes….Plusle, Parasect, Froga-"

"Ahem!" came a squeak of rage.

"Oh…. yes…sorry Whimsicott," Victini said, a little embarrassed. "Frogadier, get up there too."

Plusle threw her arms around Shuckle and hugged him until Victini barked at her to go to her proper place. She gave Shuckle an apologetic look and hopped up to the section representing him.

Whismicott, still grumbling about her lot in life, flew over to Umbreon's section. Maybe she knew what it was like to be ignored.

Parasect glared at Umbreon, unimpressed by her underhanded tactics, so he scuttled over to Shuckle's section as well. Frogadier looked a bit conflicted but decided that Umbreon needed more supporters.

"Misdreavus, Lopunny, Minccino, Braixen!"

Misdreavus flew up to Shuckle's section, giggling maniacally to herself, Lopunny hopping up Umbreon's. Minccino chose to support Shuckle, with Braixen sauntering after her.

"Sableye, Ninjask, Audino, and Carbink. Come on up!"

Sableye pat Shuckle on the back and darted over to his section, followed by Ninjask, who gave him a respectful nod. Audino, who was friends with Umbreon, eagerly skipped up to her section, but Carbink tried to argue that he didn't want _either_ competitor to win. Victini responded by shooting a flame at his butt, and yelping, he flew over to Umbreon's section.

"Swampert, Ampharos, Donphan, and Grovyle."

Swampert seemed to hesitate, before nodding and deciding to choose Shuckle's section. Ampharos and Donphan moved to Umbreon's. Grovyle flipped a coin, and joined Umbreon's side as a result, giving a sheepish shrug to Shuckle.

"Ivysaur, Sylveon, Infernape, and Slowking."

Ivysaur joined his friends on Umbreon's side, followed by an excited Sylveon. Infernape mouthed 'Tinker Bell' before jumping onto Umbreon's side, followed by a chuckling Slowking.

"Ouch, _none_ of them supported me?" Shuckle asked. "That kinda bites."

"Relax, drama queen, I'll join your side."

"Zorua!" Shuckle gasped. "You're okay!"

"Right as rain," Zorua said, giving him a high five. "What can I say? Audino is one hell of a healer. Nice job finally taking Scrafty out."

She moved up to his section, blowing Ampharos a kiss, before she realized the cameras were trained on her and blushed furiously.

"Okay, next time let me announce you!" Victini growled. "Tep-"

"Tepig here!" Tepig slid into the scene, tipping his fedora. Cheers erupted, and he bowed for the crowd.

"Where the hell is that track coming from?" Victini asked, whirling around.

"I gave up my powers, but they let me keep an imaginary audience to laugh whenever I make a joke," Tepig said. On cue, the invisible crowd chortled.

"Okay that's enough Tepig, you've had way too much screen time this season," Victini snapped. "Off with you."

Tepig rolled his eyes and walked over to Shuckle's side, wrapping arm around Minccino.

"Okay then. We have Lucario, Scrafty, and Gallade."

Lucario walked over, and Shuckle immediately threw her an apologetic look. Lucario waved him off and gave an easy smile, sitting down next to Zorua.

Scrafty was met with a chorus of boos (amplified by Tepig's invisible audience). He grinned at it, pretending to conduct it for a movement before, to Shuckle's shock, flopping down next to Swampert.

"Why the hell did he…" Shuckle whispered.

Gallade was last to arrive, giving the cast a lazy wave. He too chose Shuckle's section, though he gave Grovyle a wink.

"Unfortunately, Charizard couldn't make it, for reasons that I'm not at liberty to say," Victini said. "He did tell me to say that he wishes both of you luck and apologizes for his earlier behavior."

Victini cleared his throat. "Okay, since everyone's here, we can-"

A portal opened on the ground, and Giratina burst out, letting out a roar. He was covered head to toe in Umbreon merchandise.

"Oh god dammit," Umbreon said, letting out a deep sigh. "I'M NOT TAKING YOU BACK!"

"BUT OUR RULE OVER THIS PLANET WOULD BE PERFECT! OUR OFFSPRING WOULD CONQUER ARCEUS HIMSELF!"

Victini slapped himself in the face. "Giratina, we're busy, so can you-"

"NEVER! I WILL SUPPORT MY NIGHTMARE QUEEN IN HER TIME OF GREATEST VICTORY!"

Bidoof narrowed his eyes. "Leave her alone. She's not interested."

Giratina cackled. "OH YEAH? WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO, LITTLE GOPHER? FIGHT ME?"

"Maybe I will," Bidoof growled. "Back off."

"ENOUGH!" Victini shouted. "Giratina, just…go sit at Umbreon's section. Please. I'm tired of the migraines you give me."

"Fine," Giratina hissed, and nearly squashed Infernape under his weight.

"Okay, now that everybody's here," Victini said through gritted teeth. "You two can see your supporters and enemies. This will play a part in the challenge to come."

"Which will be?" Shuckle asked.

"The winning conditions to end the competition are simple. The Total Pokkemon Island flag is sitting atop Mount Victory, which stands smack dab in the middle of the island. Grab the flag at the summit of the mountain, and you win the game."

"So…it's a race to the top?" Shuckle asked, his face falling.

"No, my sweet little endolith, it's much more complicated than that," Victini said with a devilish grin.

"But you just said-"

"Quiet!" Victini hissed. "Let me finish!"

"Oh man, this is just like old times," Ninjask cackled. "Somehow you've gotten _worse_ at stringing sentences together."

"Shut up, Ninjask!" Victini snarled. "Anyway, I'll teleport both of you to random locations on the island, and you'll work your way to the mountain from there. Hindering you will be the competitors that decided to support your rival in this game. They'll be littered all around the island, and they'll attack you on sight."

"Wait, that means I have to fight _Swampert and Gallade?"_ Umbreon asked, gaping.

"And I have to go against Slowking?" Shuckle gulped.

"But fear not," Victini said. "You'll each be allowed five allies to help you."

"Do we get to pick them?" Shuckle asked, looking longingly at Swampert.

"Nope," Victini said, wiping the grin off Shuckle's face. "Hariyama and I have decided to pick your closest relationships judging by past footage of the show. You better hope your friends were powerful!"

He thought for a moment. "Because Munchlax and Bidoof volunteered last challenge, they're guaranteed to be on your respective squads. Have fun with them!"

"Wait, Bidoof's not on my team?" Shuckle said, looking sad. Bidoof kicked the grass awkwardly.

"Hey, it's okay? At least you have me?" Munchlax asked, scratching his head.

"Yeah, but I was really hoping for the squad to be back together," Shuckle said sadly.

"Too bad," Victini said. "Are you two ready? Shake hands and we'll be off."

Shuckle and Umbreon faced each other, Shuckle biting his lip and Umbreon giving a wry grin.

"Good luck, Umbreon," Shuckle said, holding out an arm. "You're not a bad person to lose to, if it comes down to it."

"Don't bail out on me now," Umbreon said, raising an eyebrow. "I've seen how competent you can be when you go hard. I want a challenge."

"Then I'll be sure to give you one," Shuckle replied with a cool gaze.

They shook hands, and Victini snapped his fingers as Tepig's crowd roared. Twelve Pokemon vanished to parts unknown.

 **0000**

" **At long last…I have returned!" Pidgey squeaked. "Prepare to be annihilated, Umbreon."**

 **0000**

" _Of course,_ we'd end up at the beach," Umbreon growled. "I hate sand."

She glanced around at her new teammates. Bidoof, Sylveon, Infernape, Audino, and…. Talonflame?

"Wait, since when were _we_ close?" Umbreon asked, raising an eyebrow.

Talonflame shrugged. "Charizard was supposed to be here, but since he's unavailable they picked another fire-flying type."

"Ugh, this team is trash," Umbreon said. "Two idiots, a scared girl, the guy who was eliminated first, and _Audino._ We're dead."

"Well, that would be rather disappointing," came a low voice. "After all, it's been a while since I've gotten an interesting fight."

"Who said that?" Audino asked.

"Oh, crap baskets," Bidoof mumbled.

Swampert surfaced from the water behind them, stretching his muscles. He gave the five Pokemon staring at him with an amused smile.

"We-we have to fight you first?" Sylveon asked, trembling.

"Afraid so." Electivire stomped down the slope of the beach, boxing the five Pokemon between him and Swampert. "You better be prepared for this, or you'll lose the challenge right from the get go."

"Can't you attack us one at a time?" Infernape asked, a bit nervously.

"Or like…not at all?" Umbreon asked.

"Please," Talonflame said with a cocky grin, flapping his wings. "They won't even be able to hit me."

"Stop being a cocky dumbass," Umbreon growled. "You were eliminated first. I hope you don't expect me to have hopes in your competence here."

"…. why did I choose to back you again?" Talonflame asked, mystified.

"Guys," Audino said, as Electivire and Swampert charged. "Can we focus?"

 **0000**

" **Electivire and I trained quite a bit after our eliminations. We know each other's fighting styles front and back," Swampert admitted. "We've been looking for someone to finally test our newfound power against."**

 **0000**

 **Electivire grinned. "I want to fight the monkey boy over there."**

 **0000**

"Huh, we're in a cave," Shuckle said. He looked at his allies. Bidoof, Sableye, Plusle, Zorua, and…. Scrafty?

"Oh lovely," the hoodlum said, rolling his eyes. "Now I have to help the one who ruined my chances at winning. How poetic."

Shuckle glared. "Why would _you_ be one of my allies? I hate your guts."

"And I yours," Scrafty said. "I guess they thought our relationship was so entertaining they decided to force us together."

"Well, if you're going to sabotage me, get it over with," Shuckle said. "I really don't want to do deal with your bullshit on my final day."

"I won't," Scrafty said with a huff. "I'm not going to let the person who beat me lose. My pride won't allow it."

"Bullshit!" Zorua snapped. "Scrafty nearly put me in a coma. Like hell I'm helping him!"

"Come on guys, Scrafty screwed everyone here over at least once, right?" Munchlax asked. "Can't we just cooperate now and beat him up later?"

"He never bothered me," Sableye chattered.

"Not helping, buddy."

"Sorry."

"Look, fact of the matter is, you know how competent I am," Scrafty said, lighting a cigarette. "I may be a shitty person, but your best chance of winning this is with my help. I wouldn't throw this chance away."

Munchlax and Plusle exchanged a glance, before nodding. Zorua was still glaring at Scrafty, but Shuckle cleared his throat.

"I'm going to work with him, Zorua," Shuckle said with an apologetic glance. "I really can't afford to waste him."

"Fine," Zorua said reluctantly, folding her arms. "But only if we get to use him as a meat shield."

"Deal," Shuckle said, nodding.

The cigarette fell out of Scrafty's mouth. "Hold on….what?-"

"Hehe, thanks for revealing your plans!"

Shuckle looked up in horror. Floating in front of them was Whimsicott.

"I knew I could use my lack of presence against you!" Whimsicott growled. "And now I know your party. Slowking will be happy to plan around it."

"Oh no," Shuckle whimpered. "Slowking cannot know ANYTHING about us! Get her!"

Munchlax dove, but Whimsicott twirled to the side. She stuck out her tongue, before flying away, heading for the mouth of the cave. Zorua and Sableye sprinted after, but slid to a stop when Ivysaur, Donphan, and Ampharos came into view, blocking their path.

"What ho, comrades!" Donphan said, brandishing his sword. "I knew they were nearby!"

"Sorry guys," Ivysaur said, looking sheepish. "We have to bring you down now."

"Meh," Sableye said, raising his claws in defense. "It's three on four. We can take them."

"Sableye, there are five of us," Munchlax said, scratching his head.

"Oh sorry," Sableye said with a giggle. "Three on four and Munchlax."

"Hey!"

"You're still wrong," came a new voice. From the cavern behind them emerged Grovyle, the leaves on her arms sharpened into leaves. "It's four on four."

"Really?" Munchlax asked. "You're _all_ going to-"

"Shut up, Munchlax," Zorua snapped. "We'd better finish this up quickly, Shuckle. If Whimsicott gets away we're screwed."

Shuckle groaned. "Why can't I ever get the easy way out?"

 **0000**

" **I wrote out a whole speech for our climactic appearance," Donphan said, excited. "Too bad Victini accidentally burned it to cinders with his flamethrower attack."**

 **0000**

" **In all honesty, I kind of just stumbled on the group. Caves are pretty hard to navigate," Grovyle admitted, a little sheepish.**

 **0000**

"Looks like both teams started battling," Victini said, watching the footage from a massive tv screen that Hariyama had dragged over earlier. "I wonder who will come up on top."

"IT WILL BE UMBREON! SHE WILL FEAST UPON HIS SOUL!" Giratina screeched.

"Uh…yeah," Victini said, a strained smile on his face. "Well, it's time to cut for commercial. We'll check progress in another few minutes!"

Victini rubbed his hands together. "Well, let's head to the top of that ice mountain, shall we? I have some friends up there waiting for us."

Giratina hissed. "Social interaction."

"Come on man, you have to leave you room _sometimes,"_ Victini said.

"Not when your room is an entire dimension," Giratina countered.

"Well, whatever, you don't have to come, it's not like you were invited," Victini said. "Oh man, Hariyama better have brought the chicken wings."

"You…have chicken wings?"

"Yeah man, Moltres' special," Victini said with a grin. "We stole a bunch from him."

"Hrrggggh dammit I'll come!" Giratina snarled. "For the chicken wings! The chicken wings and nothing else!"

 **0000**

 **Giratina was stuffing copious amounts of wings down his throat. "You don't understand what food is in the distortion world. It's like Kale and literally nothing else! Have you tried eating kale? It's like poison on your tongue!"**

 **0000**

" **Uh please don't let Giratina's grumbling turn you off from eating kale," Grovyle said, chuckling a little awkwardly. "Kale is high in fiber, has no fat, and is low in calories, so it's great to eat if you want to lose weight!" She took a bite out of some kale in her hand, shuddering for a moment, before putting on a brave face. "S-see? Delicious!"**

 **0000**

Electivire and Infernape fought back and forth, their fists flying faster than the human eye could comprehend. Sylveon and Bidoof yelped in pain as Swampert slammed down his fist in an earthquake, sending them flying backwards. Talonflame flew around the mudfish at high speeds, squawking challenges and dodging blasts of water.

"We need a plan," Audino said as she used a heal pulse on Sylveon. Umbreon let out a sigh, wracking her brain for an idea on how to get out of this bullshit situation.

Swampert grunted in pain as Talonflame finally managed to get under his guard, scoring a strike to his abdomen. He slid back, clutching his chest as Talonflame flew out of range.

"I must admit, I underestimated you," Swampert said, nodding.

"One of the few benefits of being eliminated first," Talonflame agreed, flashing a cocky grin. "I'm pretty damn good at what I do."

"Good," Swampert said, launching himself forward. "At least I can expect a proper challenge."

Meanwhile Infernape finally made a mistake, throwing a punch that Electivire was able to dodge. The electric type wrapped a firm wire around the monkey's hand, before releasing all of his electricity. Infernape screamed and writhed in pain, before collapsing onto the sand.

"Déjà vu…." Infernape murmured.

Electivire grinned and blasted off another lighting strike, but a Moonblast collided with it, creating an explosion. Sylveon was glaring at Electivire, ribbons at the ready.

"You? Want to fight me?" Electivire asked in mock disbelief. "Look, I may be trying to be nicer, but we both know how this is going to end."

"You're not the only one who's changed!" Sylveon growled, refusing to back down. "I can't wait to show you what I've learned!"

"Umbreon," Audino gasped as she dragged Infernape to a safe spot, using Sylveon's distraction as a means heal the monkey safely. "Can you please contribute? I only have so much PP."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm thinking," Umbreon snapped. "You fight while I plan. That's a fair way to divvy it up, right?'

"You can't just sit on the sidelines and bark orders!" Audino protested.

"Shuckle did it for half a season and no one gave him shit for it," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes.

Bidoof sprinted forward, hyping himself up as he launched himself towards Swampert. Letting out a whoop of joy, he launched forward, striking him in the stomach.

Swampert actually _woofed_ in pain, doubling over, and Talonflame's eyes gleamed. The bird shot down, talons outstretched, ready to take down his opponent while he was vulnerable.

Letting out a roar, Swampert spun and slapped Bidoof into the air, right into an unsuspecting Talonflame. Bidoof collided with the fire type's head, and they both crashed into the sand.

Swampert stomped over, and while Bidoof managed to roll out of his path, Talonflame was still disoriented. He looked up and paled as Swampert's shadow loomed over him, the mudfish raising both fists high in the air.

Talonflame flinched, but a shadow ball struck Swampert in the jaw, sending him stumbling back a few feet.

"There see," Umbreon growled, charging up another shadow ball. "I'm contributing. Can you stop yanking on my dick now?"

She launched a second shadow ball, but Swampert slapped it to the side, completely ignoring Audino as she darted over to heal Talonflame. He walked towards his new target, slowly picking up speed.

"Time to test your strength, Finalist," Swampert said, running forward.

Umbreon gulped. "Okay, that wasn't really intended to be challenging. I just wanted to create the illusion of helping my team while actually getting high in the corner-you're not stopping."

Swampert raised a fist, and Umbreon tensed, but in the next moment Electivire smacked into him, throwing both off balance.

"You want more!?" Sylveon snarled, sprinting forward. "COME ON YOU PUSSIES!"

"Really?" Swampert said, raising an eyebrow. "You're losing to her-whoa."

A ribbon wrapped around her and Swampert's arms. Face set and determined, Sylveon let out a roar and slammed their heads together, before sending them spinning off to different sides.

"Now's our chance to finish them off!" Sylveon shouted.

Electivire tried to shake off his headache, but Umbreon and Bidoof tackled him, throwing up sand around them as they pinned him down. Infernape sprinted towards Swampert with a crazed grin, punching his chest repeatedly.

"Punching solves every problem!" Infernape said, before looking at Swampert's unamused face. "So, um…if you expressed pain it'd really help boost my confidence?"

Swampert responded by grabbing his arms and yanking them down to his sides. He reared his head back, before slamming into Infernape's skull. The monkey slid through the sand, unearthing shells and sending them flying.

A pair of talons dug into Swampert's shoulders, and he froze.

"Thanks for the distraction pal!" Talonflame said in appreciation, as Infernape gave a dizzy thumbs up. "You're mine."

Swampert tried to wrench himself free, but Talonflame launched himself in the air, dragging Swampert with him. The mudfish struggled, but soon ceased when he noticed how high up he was.

"Just try to land as softly as you can dude," Talonflame chuckled into Swampert's ear. He performed a triple flip, building up momentum before he finally threw Swampert down to earth with as much force as he could muster.

At the same time, Electivire finally knocked Bidoof and Umbreon off him, before sending a discharge to blast them away.

"Nice try," Electivire said, taking a deep breath. "But it'll take more than an edgy fox and a gopher to-"

He looked up. "Son of a bitch."

Swampert slammed into him in an explosion of sand that flew into everyone else's eyes.

"Hell yeah!" Talonflame said, flying down to earth. "How badass is that for the first one eliminated?"

"Are you kidding? You completely _ruined_ my eyes you dick," Umbreon snarled, trying to wipe at them.

"Ow! God! This is the worst kind of pain!" Sylveon yelped.

"I'd rather get pummeled by Swampert again then go through this hell!" Infernape screeched.

Talonflame sighed. "I can never win with you people."

"So, where the hell do we go next?" Umbreon asked. "I'd point out the direction myself, but SOMEONE here likes cruel and unusual punishment."

"Will you get over yourself? A little bit of sand isn't going to kill you," Talonflame said. "Anyway, the fastest way to the mountain is behind a pretty thick forest. You guys want to go for it?"

"Why not? I'd rather get jumped in a forest then spending any longer on this stupid island then I have to. Let's move it."

The squad of five marched forward, but Audino fell back, giving Sylveon a pat on the back.

"You were so aggressive today," she pointed out, a look of awe on her face. "How did you learn to do that?"

"I spent some time training after I was eliminated," Sylveon admitted with a shrug. "Lucario had a whole fitness routine written out for me before I left."

 **0000**

" **Learning self-defense really boosted my confidence too," Sylveon said with a nod. "Like, if I'm feeling really uncomfortable I can just judo flip the other person."**

 **0000**

Shuckle tried to keep track of the battle, but it was pure chaos. Scrafty and Grovyle sparred, the hoodlum doing a fairly good job at dodging the gecko's vicious leaf blades. Munchlax was shouting as he ran away as fast as possible, chased by a sword-swinging Donphan. Plusle was faring a little better, dodging Ivysaur's vine whips before throwing a few well-placed jolts to damage the grass type. Ampharos seemed to be hesitating, unwilling to attack his opponent, Zorua.

"Honey, you know I love you, but if you don't step aside I'm willing to shove your hand up your own ass," Zorua said as sweetly as she could. In his hesitation, he failed to notice Sableye sneaking up behind him.

"Haha, kinky," Munchlax said with a giggle, before Donphan rammed into him. "Oof!"

Ampharos took a deep sigh. "Sorry Zorua. I hate to do this, but I feel obligated to-"

"Gotcha!" Sableye crowed, landing a fake out that caught the electric type off guard. Zorua used the distraction to her advantage, sliding between Ampharos' legs and darting after Whimsicott.

Ampharos spun around, but Zorua already turned invisible. "Aww….man."

"Hey Shuckle!" Munchlax yelped, as Donphan pinned him down, holding his to his throat. "Little help? Also, what the heck is that thing made of?"

Shuckle threw a string shot that wrapped around Donphan's trunk and yanked on it to throw the elephant off Munchlax. The small bear launched forward, his belly bouncing Donphan into Ampharos, bowling them both over.

Scrafty grunted as Grovyle kicked him against the wall, before he dodged a leaf blade that struck the wall of rock where his head had been a mere moment before. He stumbled back, raising his fists defensively.

"Why do you insist on only bringing me down," Scrafty asked, rolling his eyes. "We didn't get along that poorly."

"You were the one who got me eliminated in the first place you little weasel," Grovyle growled. "Trust me, the others want to beat you up way more than I do, but I at least want my fair share."

Plusle let out a gasp of pain as Ivysaur finally managed to strike her, and she slid next to Shuckle. At the same time, Ampharos sent Sableye flying back with a thunder punch, while Donphan and Ivysaur rose unsteadily to their feet.

"We're outclassed," Plusle grumbled, brushing herself off. "Any bright ideas?"

Shuckle narrowed his eyes. "They might be decent fighters, but I know that alliance. They're clumsy, so if we can take advantage of that…."

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Ivysaur shouted.

"Ooh, that reminds me, we got you a present!" Sableye said, clapping his hands. "We were going to wait until after you won, but now's a good a time as any. It even responds to voice commands."

"So, what do I say?" Shuckle asked.

"Roy Mustang!" Munchlax piped up.

"Okay….uh…R-roy Mustang?" Shuckle said, almost asking the question.

A circle appeared on the ground, before a sleek, silver wagon teleported at the center of it.

" _Alchemy: the science of understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter. However, it is not an all-powerful art. It is impossible to create something out of nothing. If one wishes to obtain something, something of equal value must be given. This is the law of equivalent exchange; the basis of all alchemy. In accordance to this law, there is a taboo among alchemists. Human transmutation is strictly forbidden. For what could equal the value of a human soul?"_

The vehicle shuddered with power and gleamed. " _Full Wagon Alchemist."_

Shuckle gaped. "You got me a sentient wagon? That also spouts anime references?"

" _Oh, I do far more than references, Shuckle,"_ the wagon said. " _Give me a command and start exchanging."_

"Wait, but…. what?" Shuckle asked.

" _I can manipulate and alter matter by using energy. For example, try an open flame."_

"I uh…feel like we should be stopping this," Ivysaur said with a gulp.

"Nay," Donphan said, letting out a hearty chuckle. "I welcome the challenge, haggis-breath! I'll give ya a joogly wilky!"

"Oh wonderful," Ampharos said, rolling his eyes. "He's Scottish now!"

"Hey Scrafty, can I borrow your lighter?" Shuckle asked.

"Fuck off!" Scrafty shouted, still battling Grovyle. Grovyle grinned and landed a vicious leaf blade on the hoodlum, and he rolled across the ground.

"Ugh, take it from him guys," Shuckle said, rolling his eyes.

"On it!" Sableye chattered, running for Scrafty, but Grovyle growled and pounced at him.

"Oh no you don't!" She shouted, swinging her blades, but Plusle zapped her, and Munchlax used body slam to knock her backwards.

Ivysaur's vines casted out, wrapping around Plusle and Munchlax, but Scrafty rose to his feet, spinning and kicking the grass type away. Plusle and Munchlax flew free as Donphan and Ampharos lunged into the fray, creating a cloud of dust.

Finally, Sableye rolled out of the pile of fighting Pokemon. The lighter was in his hand.

"Shuckle! Here!" He screeched, throwing the lighter to Shuckle a split second before Donphan clubbed him with the back of his sword.

Shuckle caught it, staring as Ampharos, Ivysaur, Grovyle, and Donphan charged him. Shuckle flicked on the lighter.

An explosion of heat flew up, absorbing the four Pokemon up in the flames. Shuckle's eyes glowed wide as he saw his wagon was the one creating the power.

"Whoa," Plusle said, helping Munchlax to his feet. Sableye giggled and clapped his hands, while Scrafty used the flames to light a cigarette. When the power faded, all four Pokemon lay in an unconscious pile.

"Wow," Shuckle said. "That was an impressive lightshow, Wagon."

" _Please,"_ the wagon said. " _Call me Roy Mustang."_

 **0000**

" **I want my lighter back," Scrafty growled.**

 **0000**

" **I will not yield, to kiss the ground before young Shuckle's feet, and to be baited with the rabble's curse," Donphan said.**

 **0000**

Whimsicott flew out of the cave, letting out a little giggle. With any luck, she'd call the rest of the Pokemon challenging Shuckle forward, so they could ambush him the moment he'd try to leave the cave. Still, where _was_ everybody? And why did it feel like someone was pulling on her hair!?

She looked up, face to face with Zorua, who was sitting on her head.

Zorua let out a yawn. "S'up."

Before Whimsicott could strike, Zorua nailed a pressure point, and her entire face sized up and collapsed. Zorua rolled away safely, brushing herself off.

A moment later, Shuckle and his posse exited the cave, wincing a little at the sudden bright light.

"New toy?" Zorua asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Meet Roy Mustang," Shuckle said. "The boys gave it to me since my last wagon blew up. Whimsicott?"

Zorua gestured to the unconscious grass type. "Wasted."

"Nice," Shuckle said. "So, I guess we need to get to the top of that mountain then, huh?"

"Well, if we keep going straight we'll run right into it, right?" Plusle said. "Still, we'd better hurry. There's still a bunch of Pokemon trying to waylay us, and we need to get to the top before Umbreon."

"Then let's go," Shuckle said. "Sableye installed a motor in my new wagon. We'll be off in no time."

 **0000**

" **I had a lot of time to tinker while I was at that loser's resort," Sableye explained. "Roy Mustang is the end result of all my hard work."**

 **He sniffed, wiping away a tear. "I'm just…. I'm just so proud."**

 **0000**

"Hey Talonflame," Umbreon gasped, as she and her team sprinted their way through the thick forest. "Question."

"Yeah?" Talonflame looked over at her from where he was flying. Unlike her, he hadn't even broken a sweat."

"Can't you just _fly_ me to the top of the mountain?" Umbreon asked.

"Technically we're just supposed to be bodyguards," Talonflame explained, shrugging. "You need to get to the top on your own."

"I don't know," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. "That sounds pretty contrived to me."

"Dude, we're on Fanfiction dot net, not AMC," Talonflame said. "What the hell do you expect?"

Before Umbreon could respond, a Poke ball shot towards them. Umbreon rolled to the side as she felt it zip past her ear. "What the hell?"

"Sniper!" Audino shouted. "Get down!"

The six Pokemon dove for cover as the sniper fired again, the ball narrowly missing Sylveon this time.

"We get hit by one of those balls, we're trapped for the rest of the challenge," Audino hissed. "Be careful."

"How are they flying so fast, though?" Infernape asked. "Are they using some sort of sniper rifle that only shoots Poke balls?"

"Infernape, that would be retarded," Umbreon drawled from behind the tree she had crouched under.

0000

"Wow, I sure love this Poke ball-firing sniper rifle that I appropriated from Sableye," Tepig said, looking through the scope. "I reckon I might actually hit one of the buggers this time."

"Okay," Minccino said, peering down at their opponents. "I guess we can draw them out from their hiding spots, so you can have a clear shot."

"Yes, brilliant deduction, my dear second in command," Parasect chuckled, clicking his pinchers. "Parasect and his platoon will be remembered for ruling Pokkemon Island!"

"Parasect, we're not on teams and you're not a captain anymore," Minccino said, rolling her eyes. "So that means I'm not your second in command."

Parasect gulped. "B-but…but…"

"Can we just go already?" Ninjask snapped. "My wings are falling asleep, and if I hear Parasect's obnoxious voice again I'm ripping them off."

"Right, all right, we can go," Minccino said with a huff. "God, I forgot it was like to be the team mom."

 **0000**

" **Minccino gave me permission to light the entire forest on fire if I need to," Braixen said with a dark chuckle. "Plus, Grovyle's nowhere to be found, so now there's nothing in my way."**

 **0000**

"Okay, we're just sitting Ducklett at this point," Sylveon said as Bidoof ducked to avoid the Pokeball shot his way. "We can't hide here forever or Shuckle will win!"

"Well, what do you propose?" Audino asked. "Maybe if we can get Talonflame to draw their fire…."

"HYAAAA!" a piercing screech could be heard, followed by Pidgey landing a few feet away from Bidoof. "A hero emerges, ready to take you down!"

"Oh, Arceus, I did not miss you," Umbreon growled.

"Aha! I bet you did not!" Pidgey boasted. "For I am here to slay you, wench! FOR I AM PIDGEY, THE ULTIMATE WARRI-"

Infernape picked him up by one of his legs. "Sorry, Guy, but you're messing with our team's grove."

"Wait, at least let me finish my speech-GAAAH!" Pidgey screamed as Infernape punched him far away.

"Well, he jumped the gun, but the rest of us won't go down so easy!" Minccino said, walking into view. Smeargle and Parasect walked forward from either side, chuckling darkly, while Ninjask flew into view above them. Braixen's expression was downright psychotic as she lit her stick on fire.

"Think you can beat all of us while simultaneously avoiding Tepig's fire?" Minccino asked, a confident grin on her face. "I don't need to gather evidence to know how this is going to end."

Umbreon groaned. "Nickel for every time I heard that..."

0000

"Lopunny, Machamp, and Lucario," Shuckle remarked, looking at the three facing him. "Well, I'm screwed."

Shuckle's team had made it to the cabins, which wasn't too far off from Mt. Victory, but they had been ambushed.

"Look, just give me Scrafty and I'm cool," Lucario said, shrugging. "Little shit _knows_ what he has coming for him."

"Deal!" Shuckle said.

"What?" Scrafty hissed.

"Much obliged," Lucario said, charging up her aura. "Good luck with the other two."

She sprinted forward faster than the eye could track, kicking Scrafty in the face hard enough to send him flying.

"I want my lighter back you son of a biiiiiiiiitch!" Scrafty shouted as he flew.

Machamp cracked his knuckles. "Shame, but we still have reinforcements."

He gestured over to the top of one of the cabins, where Frogadier had landed. The blue frog bowed. Next to him was a grumpy Carbink. Gliscor was gliding in the air between the cabins, his arms folded.

"And we are right back to being screwed!" Shuckle said. "Lovely!"

" _Not if I have anything to say about it,"_ Roy Mustang said. _"Might I recommend some of my special features?"_

"Uh, be my guest," Shuckle said, scratching his head. The wagon shuddered with power, before revealing spikes that jutted out from the sides, rocket dispensers, and swiveling laser guns that could spin 360 degrees.

Shuckle practically drooled at the sight. "This is the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on."

The wagon turned, facing the cabin that Frogadier and Carbink were standing on. " _Target locked."_

"Uh-oh," Frogadier gulped.

Roy Mustang launched two rockets that screamed through the air as they flew towards the cabin at high speeds. Frogadier was quick enough to dive off the cabin in time, but Carbink merely widened his eyes.

When the smoke cleared, the cabin was revealed to be reduced to cinders.

"Get him!" Machamp barked, as he and Lopunny sprinted forward. Frogadier lunged as well, forcing Shuckle's team to get into defensive positions.

 **0000**

" **Victini is okay with allowing campers to level camp to the ground?" Hariyama asked, sitting next to Victini in the confessional.**

" **Well, yeah dude," Victini said, shrugging. "It's the final episode. In all honesty it saves a lot of time for cleanup."**

 **0000**

Scrafty bounced off a tree, right into Lucario's kick, which pressed deep into his stomach. She twirled back, and the hoodlum fell flat on his face.

"Ow, hey, can we take a break or something?" Scrafty asked, struggling to rise. He reached for a cigarette but realized that Shuckle still had his lighter. "Son of a bitch."

"Uhh, nope!" Lucario said cheerfully, aiming an aura sphere point black. "Next time think before screwing my chance at winning a ton of money."

The aura sphere caught Scrafty in his already weak stomach, and it carried Scrafty twenty feet before collapsing him into the grass.

Lucario hummed merrily to herself as she skipped over to her fallen rival.

0000

Unlike Swampert and Electivire, the Pokemon fighting Umbreon's squad weren't the cream of the crop. In fact, they probably would have defeated them much earlier on if it hadn't been for Tepig's marksmanship.

Braixen was cackling like the witch she was, performing ballroom dances as she shot fire out of her wand. Infernape weaved in and out, trying to find an opening, but often had to abandon his efforts to dodge potshots from Tepig.

Sylveon growled as she faced off against Smeargle and Minccino at the same time, shooting off dazzling gleams and moon blasts that they struggled to avoid. Smeargle swung his paintbrush-like tail, coating the fairy type in paint that stung against her skin, while Minccino used her quick speed to occasionally land strikes when her guard was down.

Parasect and Umbreon squared off, with Umbreon doing her best to avoid Parasect's super effective X-scissors. Despite his melodrama and stiff personality, she had to admit the guy wasn't a bad fighter.

Ninjask and Talonflame circled around each other in the air, colliding and moving at high speeds. Talonflame aimed a brave bird, but Ninjask created multiple copies of himself. Talonflame flew into the wrong one and wound up crashing into a tree. Ninjask snickered in the air behind him, his speed boost ability proceeding to make himself even faster.

Audino, who was watching from the sidelines, immediately moved forward to heal Talonflame, dragging the dizzy bird over behind some trees for cover.

"Gotcha!" Sylveon shouted triumphantly, wrapping a ribbon around Minccino. Before she could do anything, however, Smeargle threw a glob of paint into her eyes.

"Ow! Hey! No fair!" Sylveon screeched, stumbling back. She dropped Minccino, who scrambled away as quickly as possible. Meanwhile, Smeargle gave a confident grin as he sauntered over to the blinded fairy type.

"Sorry, _Mon Amour,_ but sometimes these things happen," Smeargle said. Sylveon lunged blindly but missed as Smeargle pirouetted to the side, humming the French national anthem under his breath.

Meanwhile, Infernape managed to roll under Braixen's flames, throwing a fist, but fast as thought Braixen threw up a barrier that stopped the punch cold. As Infernape clutched his fist with a yelp, Braixen twirled her wand, pinning Infernape to a tree with her psychic powers.

"He's all yours, Tepig!" Braixen shouted.

Infernape gulped, closing his eyes, but just as Tepig fired, Audino tackled Braixen. The concentration broke, and Infernape collapsed as a Poke ball missed where he had been propped up a split second before.

"Ow! Get off!" Braixen snarled, wrestling over the wand with Audino. They fought back and forth, with Braixen growling for Tepig to shoot her.

Parasect cursed and lunged, this time catching Umbreon in the shoulder with his pincher. Parasect cackled as Umbreon let out a whimper of pain.

"Ha! Take that, you scoundrel!" Parasect laughed as Umbreon struggled to get free. "Come now, did you really believe you stood a chance against the illustrious Parasect!?"

Umbreon growled, before headbutting him as hard as she could.

"Ow!" Parasect yelped. "How _dare_ you? Do you believe that mere guerilla tactics and cheap tricks are enough to-"

Umbreon headbutted him again.

"Ow, you bitch!" Parasect shrieked, stumbling back. Umbreon followed up with a dark pulse that sent him tumbling away.

At the same time, Braixen finally won her struggle with Audino, blasting her back with a shot of fire. Audino hit the ground in a roll, before being struck by one of Tepig's Poke ball. She let out a gasp of shock as she entered it, and the ball locked.

Braixen grinned at her victory, but Infernape struck her behind, before delivering a Mach punch to her stomach. Braixen howled and collapsed to her knees as Infernape threw a roundhouse kick to finish her off.

"Eh, it's not punching but it'll do," Infernape said, wiping sweat from his brow.

Ninjask collapsed on the ground, groaning and cursing. Talonflame perched down on a tree, a shit-eating grin on his face.

"Aerial Ace. Never misses," the bird said. The two fire types grinned at each other, before they were forced to scatter as Tepig fired on them again.

"Someone really needs to take that guy out," the bird hissed, ducking behind a tree.

 **0000**

 **Ninjask rubbed his head. "Talonflame hits like a friggin' truck. I'm beginning to remember why we voted his ass off in the first place."**

 **0000**

" **Good to see I** _ **finally**_ **get a chance to shine," Talonflame said with a deep breath. "Look, I really wasn't in the need for the money, but getting out first sure was a blow to my pride."**

 **0000**

Tepig moved, switching up his vantage point. When his dear old mum took him to the gun range she warned him that staying in one place and firing would make him easier to track down. He had nailed Audino, but the other Pokemon were quick enough to get behind cover. He needed the element of surprise on his side.

He was used to being loud and obnoxious, but Tepig always prided himself on how stealthy he could be when he wanted, so if he just could find a way to get behind Umbreon and her friends…

It wasn't difficult, considering how hard pressed they were to fight against their other opponents. Still though, Smeargle and Minccino were struggling to fight off Infernape, Umbreon, and Talonflame at the same time. They'd be defeated any moment if he didn't intervene, and Minccino would never let him hear the end of it…

Slowly, he aimed the sniper rifle at Umbreon's back.

 **0000**

 **Bidoof gave a sheepish grin. "My job was to track down Tepig, but I uh….kinda got lost?"**

 **0000**

Smeargle grunted in pain as Infernape knocked him back, hitting the ground in a roll. Minccino watched him fall with a surprised expression until Talonflame swooped down, and she was forced to dive out of the way.

"Woo, get them team," Umbreon drawled, not noticing the rustling in the leaves behind them. Infernape noticed, however, and changed tracks as quick as possible, ignoring Smeargle.

The Poke ball shot through the air at Umbreon, who turned around and opened her eyes wide. A second before it would have hit Umbreon Infernape was in the way, and the ball bounced off his chest.

"Stay golden….Ponyboy…." Infernape whispered, before his essence was absorbed in the ball.

"Shit," Umbreon growled, diving to the side as Poke balls pelted the grass. Talonflame was forced to take to the sky to avoid the Poke balls as well, abandoning Minccino.

"Who do we go for?" Smeargle asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," Minccino gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Talonflame's in the sky, so maybe not him-"

Sylveon's ribbons wrapped around Minccino's leg and yanked her back, while Smeargle whirled around.

"How did you…" Smeargle whispered, before barely dodging an attack that was far too accurate to be without careful aim.

Sylveon's face was still covered in paint, but her expression was downright terrifying. "My ribbons aren't just for show. They're _feelers._ Normally they're for solving disputes- "she launched her other ribbons, and they wrapped around Smeargle as well. "-But for you two I'll make an exception."

She threw them against the trees, slamming both their heads against the bark. They fell unconscious, and Sylveon took a deep breath.

"Damn, Sylveon," Umbreon said. "You scary."

Sylveon blushed and became an unintelligible mess.

Umbreon rolled her eyes. "You ruined it." A poke ball missed her head by half an inch.

"Damn it," Umbreon hissed, ducking behind a bush. "I'm not in the mood for this right now."

Sylveon began to wipe at the paint on her face. "Urgh…Talonflame, m-maybe you could fly up and take him out?"

Talonflame spread his wings, but Umbreon raised a paw behind her to stop him. "Hold on. I think I have an idea."

Sylveon and Talonflame both gave her an inquisitive look, but Umbreon took a deep breath and eyed the trees carefully.

"AUSSIE, AUSSIE, AUSSIE!" Umbreon shouted at the top of her lungs.

Tepig peered out from a tree. "OI! OI! OI!"

"Fire!" Umbreon snarled, and she and her friends launched attacks at Tepig at the same time. The pig's eyes widened as the tree exploded around him.

"I cannot believe that worked," Talonflame said in awe.

"Let's go finish him off," Umbreon growled.

Tepig hit the ground in a roll, scrambling back and cursing. He had to get out before-

"Howdy!" came a cheerful voice.

Tepig turned around to face Bidoof, who was grinning at him.

"Er…. I'm not Tepig, I'm Carmen Sandiego!" Tepig said in a falsetto voice.

"Oh…. Okay!" Bidoof said, before delivering a vicious headbutt that knocked Tepig out cold.

"I hate Carmen Sandiego," Bidoof said, skipping off to find his friends.

 **0000**

" **Where in the world is Tepig?" Gallade asked. "He was supposed to pick off Umbreon's allies, so we could both fight her on Mt. Victory. I better not be cheated out of my battle with her."**

 **0000**

"Okay Lucario, are you done?" Scrafty said, moaning into the dirt. Lucario's foot was digging into his back.

"You know, I think I might have a thing for BDSM," Lucario said, thinking aloud. "Because this feels friggin' awesome."

"Screw you," Scrafty mumbled.

"Or maybe it's just you," Lucario said with a shrug, finally stepping off him. "Well, I'm satisfied. Have a nice day."

Scrafty let out a hacking cough. "Ugh, for what it's worth, I probably deserve this."

"Oh, is this an apology?" Lucario asked, raising an eyebrow. "Speak up please."

"Ugh, yeah, I'm sorry," Scrafty groaned. "You can keep hating me if you want, but in the end, I paid for what I did in more ways than one. You on the other hand, still have a shot. Keep going for Pokken, Lucario, I'm sure you can make it."

Lucario sighed and her expression softened. "I can't hate you forever. C'mere, take my hand."

Scrafty gratefully allowed Lucario to help him up. "Th-thanks." He groaned as he collapsed against her shoulder.

"Whoa, how hard did I beat you up?" Lucario asked with a twinge of pity. "Do you need to go the infirmary? Are you okay?"

"Just peachy," Scrafty growled, a triumphant grin on his face. He brought up his fist, landing a drain punch on Lucario's stomach.

Lucario gasped out in pain as she felt her energy being sapped, and she fell to her knees. "OUUGH! SON OF A BITCH!"

"Thanks for the free health!" Scrafty said with a laugh, sprinting away as Lucario puked on the grass.

"I WILL KILL YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY, SCRAFTY! NOBODY WILL FIND THEIR BODIES!"

Scrafty flinched but sped up.

 **0000**

" **Run, Hakamo-o," Scrafty hissed. He had a black eye and was covered in bruises. "Get out while you still can."**

 **0000**

"Hi guys!" Bidoof said, skipping out over to Umbreon, Talonflame, and Sylveon.

"There you are," Umbreon said with an exasperated sigh. "What took you so long? Did you take out Tepig?"

"Well, no, but I did give the ol' one two to Carmen Sandiego," Bidoof said.

"Whatever," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. "Look, Audino and Infernape are out, which means we're on our own. Sylveon, you've been a badass this episode, keep it up."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Sylveon gushed.

"Bidoof, you're uh…contributing, I guess," Umbreon said with a shrug. "Alright, Talonflame. You're going to fly me up the rest of the mountain. My legs are tired."

Talonflame blinked. "I thought I told you-"

"Oh, come on, what's Victini going to do?" Umbreon asked, rolling her eyes. "Even if I'm disqualified it would better than having to fight Gallade. Just stop being a baby and fly me up."

"Fine," Talonflame said, scooping her up and taking to the sky. "Just don't say I didn't warn you."

"You two," Umbreon snapped to Sylveon and Bidoof. "Catch up if you can. We may need backup."

 **0000**

" **Look, if I have to climb a mountain it's not worth it," Umbreon explained. "I'm done exerting energy, so if I can get away with someone flying up to it, I will."**

 **0000**

"I hate fighting," Shuckle said with a deep sigh.

Shuckle, sitting in his wagon Roy Mustang, was launching attacks at Machamp, who was busy beating the tar out of Munchlax. Sableye was similarly being demolished by Lopunny, who aimed vicious kicks that sent him stumbling backwards.

Plusle was faring better, quick enough to avoid Frogadier's attacks. She launched electric attacks with good aim, though they weren't powerful enough to keep the frog down.

" _Machamp is our greatest threat,"_ Roy Mustang said. _"It won't be long before he finishes Munchlax off, and I'm not certain we can take him alone."_

Shuckle cursed, weighing his options. Munchlax's best quality in a fight was his good health and high defenses, but he couldn't stall Machamp forever. But, if he took out Lopunny and Frogadier, could Machamp possibly be able to fight them all off at once?

"Forget Machamp for now," Shuckle muttered. "Munchlax can hold him off. We have to take down the betas."

" _If you say so,"_ Roy Mustang said, shifting to face Lopunny. The earth under them came alive and formed two hands of dirt, flying at Lopunny. Sableye's eyes went wide and he rolled, while Lopunny leaped to the side. She hit the ground in a slide, before hearing a roar behind her.

Lopunny turned, her eyes going wide as she faced the legendary Raikou.

"FOOL!" Raikou shouted, his voice sounding like thunder. Lightning zapped around him, and he eyed Lopunny with loathing. "YOU DARE FACE THE ALMIGHTY RAIKOU!? BEGONE!"

Thunderclouds appeared around Raikou's head, and lightning flashed. Lopunny went pale, before her eyes rolled back into her head and she fainted out of pure terror.

With a flash, Raikou was revealed to be Zorua, who was shuddering with the effort of creating such an intense illusion.

"Wow, nice one!" Plusle said, but Frogadier used her distraction to his advantage and kicked her in the face.

Plusle winced and slid back, but before Frogadier could pursue, Scrafty sucker punched him, sending him spinning. Snickering, Scrafty landed a drain punch, finishing off the poor frog.

"Aw man, Lucario didn't kick his ass?" Shuckle said in disappointment. "Er….I mean, yay! Scrafty's back in."

"God dammit," Machamp grumbled under his breath. "I knew she shouldn't have left."

"You're outnumbered Machamp!" Shuckle announced, aiming Roy Mustang at him. Plusle helped Munchlax up, while Sableye rubbed his hands together and Scrafty stretched himself out.

"Yeah, but not outmatched," Machamp said, a cocky grin on his face. "I beat Donphan and Charizard at the same time. What threat do you people pose? I'm not falling for the vixen's tricks."

Shuckle groaned. "Just open fire, Roy. I'm tired of hearing him bluster."

The land exploded in front of Machamp as Shuckle flicked open the lighter, but when he flicked it off Machamp hadn't faltered, and he sprinted forward, eyes on Shuckle.

"Oh….jeez…" Shuckle said, but Machamp jumped high in the air, above Roy Mustang, and threw his fists down on Zorua, who couldn't move in time. Plusle threw an electric strike, blasting Machamp in the back, while Munchlax ran forward, silently screaming at himself to run into the other direction.

Machamp rolled his eyes and spun like a helicopter, knocking both Pokemon back.

Munchlax groaned, trying to brush himself off, before helping Plusle to her feet. "Hey Plusle, I was wondering if maybe sometime after this... we could go for a smoothie or something?"

"Munchlax, you're sweet, but is this really the best time?" Plusle asked with a worried glance towards Machamp.

"Uh…. I want something to look forward to?" Munchlax asked with a toothy grin, before Machamp sent him flying.

Plusle gulped stumbling back, looking to see if anyone could come to her aid, but Scrafty looked like he didn't want to get involved, and Shuckle was now facing off against Gliscor, who was taking all of his attention. Sableye was trapped in Gliscor's tail grip, choking and trying to break free.

Plusle sighed. There was nothing else for it.

She darted forward, surprising Machamp, who was expecting her to retreat. Using her superior speed, she climbed up Machamp's leg, landing on his back. With a war cry, she released a heavy blast of electricity, causing Machamp to growl in pain.

Munchlax groaned, rising to his feet. "Whoa. Keep it up, Plusle!"

"Ow, Shuckle? Can you get me out from here?" Sableye asked, gagging. "Not that I don't like choking to death, but…"

"Yeah, yeah," Shuckle muttered, glaring at Gliscor, who was avoiding his attacks with ease. "Any chance you can hit him down?"

" _Very unlikely,"_ Roy Mustang said. " _In fact, I'm calculating the odds, and it's far more likely we'll accidentally hit Sableye."_

"Wonderful," Shuckle muttered. "Guess it's time for plan B. Sableye! If your hands are free, use that move we talked about!"

A predatory grin appeared on Sableye's face. Cackling, he adjusted himself, so he was facing Gliscor's stomach. Flexing his fingers, he began to tickle the fang scorp.

Gliscor snorted and struggled, loosening his hold on Sableye. His momentary distraction was enough for Shuckle to throw himself at him, wrapping his arms around Gliscor's wings. The ground type dropped Sableye in surprise as Shuckle jerked him to direct him towards Machamp.

"Ow, hey! Get off me!" Gliscor snapped, but Shuckle's limbs were locked so tight that he couldn't break free.

"Giddyap!" Shuckle shouted, heading right for Machamp's exposed back.

Still, wincing from the electric zaps, Machamp whirled around and narrowed his eyes. Shuckle gritted his teeth. He had to plan this perfectly.

Machamp swung down his fists just as Shuckle leaped free. Gliscor tried to fly out of the way, but Machamp's fists struck down on Gliscor's back, where the bug type had been a second before.

Gliscor groaned and collapsed, hitting the dirt. Shuckle laughed in victory, but Plusle was thrown to his side a moment later.

"Enough!" Machamp shouted, raising all four fists. "I'm tired of your cheap shit! Who wants a fist in their mouth first?"

Plusle and Shuckle both faced against Machamp, wondering what they could possibly do against their four arms.

"Uh… Roy Mustang…..?" Shuckle asked. "Any help?"

Plusle blinked. "Where the heck is he?"

"Sorry, guys!" Sableye announced, waving from where he and the wagon were standing. "I'm using him to make coffee! Do you guys want cream and sugar?"

"Ooh, that sounds delicious!" Plusle said, clapping her hands.

"Plusle, focus!" Shuckle shouted. Machamp lunged at them, and Shuckle flinched.

"Ow, hey! Would you idiots get off my back!?" Machamp growled, stumbling. Munchlax had tackled him from behind and wrapped his legs around his waist.

"Shuckle, promise me you'll win, okay?" Munchlax said, beginning to glow with a harsh light. "You still have a ways to go, but I know you can handle it."

"Munchlax, what are you talking about?" Plusle asked.

"Wait, you're not going to- "Shuckle started, and Machamp seemed to realize at the same time. He cursed and tried to throw Munchlax off, but the little cub for once was impossible to pull off.

"Aw come on, no not like this, I'm supposed to be the cool one!" Machamp shouted. "This is the worst way to go! I'll be remembered as the one who lost to an unevolved weakling who self-destructed!"

Munchlax winked. "See ya, Yamcha."

Machamp's eyes went wide. "NO-"

Munchlax exploded, and the impact blew Shuckle and Plusle far back.

They coughed, staring at the dust as it cleared. Machamp was eagle spread on the ground, unconscious.

"Hey, guys!" Sableye said, sipping coffee. "How's tricks?"

"My best friend just blew up," Shuckle said in shock.

"Oh, don't be a baby," Scrafty said, rolling his eyes. "For some reason you can't actually die by detonating in this franchise. He's probably just unconscious."

"Little bit callous, Scrafty," Plusle said, glancing at him.

"Really? Me. Callous?" Scrafty said, rolling his eyes. "Hell must be freezing over, huh."

"Well, moving on from _that_ traumatic experience," Shuckle said. "Zorua's pretty much done and Munchlax isn't…. available…., so the rest of us better be careful. 'Cept Scrafty, he can screw off."

"Charming," Scrafty drawled.

"Wait, hold on," Plusle said, pointing to the sky. "Is that…Talonflame…?"

"Looks like he's carrying… oh shit that's Umbreon," Sableye said. "Uh-oh."

"Dammit, he'll carry her all the way up to the mountain!" Shuckle growled. "How can we get there?"

"Well….." Sableye said, a slow Cheshire Cat grin appearing slowly on his face. "I _did_ install a cannon on Roy Mustang…"

He gave a meaningful look to Shuckle, who's face dawned in realization.

"No," Shuckle hissed. "No, no, never again, no!"

 **0000**

 **Sableye giggled. "Don't you love it when things come full circle?"**

 **0000**

Umbreon looked at Mount Victory, which was growing bigger and bigger. "You know, I thought it would be really cold. Kind of strange."

"Dude, fire type, remember?" Talonflame said, rolling his eyes. "Do you want me to set you down at the summit or bring you straight to the flag?"

"I feel like I'd get burned by Victini if I just tried to have it handed to me, and I'm probably already pushing it as is. Let's go for the summit," Umbreon said, peering at the mountain.

"Right then," Talonflame said, swooping down, not noticing the projectile flying towards them.

Umbreon saw it, however, and gasped. "Uh Talonflame? You might want to get out of the way!"

Talonflame went pale. "Oh come _on,_ not this bullshit agai-"

Shuckle slammed into him, and the bird dropped Umbreon with a squawk. All three Pokemon fell out of the sky, Talonflame already unconscious.

 **0000**

" **Déjà fucking vu," Talonflame growled, holding a melting ice pack to his head.**

 **0000**

Umbreon burst out of the snow, shaking to get it out of her fur. "Aaand now it's cold as tits. Lovely."

She looked up at the mountain, realizing that she was on a ledge near the base. Taking her breath, she began to climb, grumbling to herself.

"I hate my life," she muttered. "If life had a dick my ass would be permanently sore."

She jumped, catching a ledge with her paw. "Let's just get this over with."

 **0000**

" **I think I have the advantage at this point," Umbreon said. "Shuckle is pretty pathetic physically, and now he seems to be alone."**

 **0000**

Shuckle groaned from edge of the cliff face he had managed to fall on. Rubbing his shell gingerly, he peeked over the side. He was a good way up the mountain, but if he wanted to beat Umbreon he needed to hurry.

Shooting a string shot, he used it as a zip line to fly up section by section, moving as carefully as he could.

Shuckle wiped the sweat from his brow. "Slow and steady wins the race."

 **0000**

" **My problem is that I can't see Umbreon's progress," Shuckle explained. "She could be higher than me or below me, so I have no context at all behind the speed of progress I thought I needed to make. I just figured I needed to stay consistent."**

 **0000**

"Looks like it's the beginning of the end, eh?" Victini said, sipping a cup of hot cocoa. "Any early predictions?"

A barrier floated just above the top of Mount Victory, where everyone spectating were seated in chairs. It was a barrier big enough to easily hold all the Pokemon waiting for Victini, which by now was quite a big number, with campers teleporting there after being eliminated.

"You've outdone yourself with this place," Manaphy said, clinking her mug with Victini. "It comes with heating and refreshments?"

"Yeah," Victini said, leaning back in his self-proclaimed 'host's armchair'. "Palkia owed me a favor and he can warp space around, so…."

Even some other legendaries had shown up besides Giratina and Manaphy. Phione had gone through eight cups of hot chocolate and was now incredibly hyper, hopping up and down in his seat with a foamy mustache. Tapus Lele and Fini were there, a bit grumpy that Hariyama seemed nowhere to be found. Zygarde had elected to take a doglike form and was sitting on the barrier floor next to his chair.

All were in good spirits, watching a massive television screen that displayed both Shuckle and Umbreon climbing respectively.

"It seems as though Shuckle has a head start," Swampert said to himself. "But Umbreon's covering more ground."

"Don't forget, though, if Umbreon wants to win she also needs to _pass_ Shuckle," Donphan said wisely. "I don't think Shuckle would accept that lying down."

"What the hell happened to you?" Tapu Fini asked Machamp, who was covered in bandages.

"I don't want to talk about it…" Machamp said in a glum voice.

"C'mon!" Infernape said, vibrating just as bad as Phione. "I don't want to see boring climbing! I'm ready for some real action!"

"Yeah!" Phione said. "Less consistency, more cool fighting!"

"Well," Victini said, pulling out a list. "There's still two Pokemon that Shuckle and Umbreon will have to face each. In fact, if you pay close attention, they're about to come across the first pair now."

0000

Umbreon climbed up the mountain, doing her best to keep her breathing under her control. She mused that if she hadn't been forced to exercise so much for the show she never would have been able to scale it now.

"Ow!" Umbreon said, yelping in pain as her paw struck something sharp. She slid down a bit, cursing under her breath. Who the hell in their right mind would have _nails_ on-

Oh no.

"Mwahahahha!" came a cackling voice that made Umbreon want to vomit. Misdreavus made her appearance, looking excited. "Ready for some fun?"

Umbreon felt heat under her, and she dove to another ledge just as it exploded, barely managing to claw herself up.

"Welcome to Misdreavus' lovely mountain masterpiece!" Misdreavus crowed. "Who wants a ride?"

 **0000**

" **I really,** _ **really**_ **can't stand her," Umbreon growled.**

 **0000**

" **Sableye was sweet enough to lend me some technology," Misdreavus said, doing a happy somersault in midair. "I've been waiting for this for weeks."**

 **0000**

Shuckle flinched as he felt an explosion rock the mountain below him. He glanced down, a bit relieved that he was ahead of it. Still, if they weren't careful they could cause an avalanche…

"Hopefully that stalled her progress," Shuckle said, realizing that the explosion meant Umbreon was likely below them. "Now's a good chance to hurry."

He moved faster, satisfied at his newfound progress. That was, until-

"Hey Shuckle!"

Shuckle looked up in surprise, he almost slipped, but launched a string shot to a ledge high above him to steady himself. Haxorus peered over above him.

"Hey man," Haxorus said, waving. "Nice job on getting this far. Too bad we never got to talk before I got eliminated, eh?"

"Uh, yeah," Shuckle said, confused about the dragon's intentions. He didn't know Haxorus too well, but he seemed to remember him being friendly. "Can I get a hand up here?"

Haxorus flinched. "Uh…yeah, hate to say it, but I kind of have to stop your progress. You know, challenge and all."

"Oh," Shuckle said, feeling his heart sink. "Well, maybe we could skip that part and you could let me go?"

"Sorry man," Haxorus said with a sigh, leaning over to the string Shuckle was using as a lifeline. "You probably won't like me much after today."

Shuckle's eyes widened. "Wait, hold on-"

Haxorus cut through the string with his tusks. Shuckle screamed as he tumbled down the mountain below.

 **0000**

 **Shuckle glared at the camera, covered in snow. "Ahh! Dick!"**

 **0000**

"Stop being such an asshole!" Umbreon shouted, dodging barrels that Misdreavus was chucking Donkey Kong style.

"C'mon Umbreon!" Misdreavus said, laughing. "Aren't we having _barrels_ of fun?"

Umbreon's retort was interrupted by Shuckle's screams as he fell, smacking off the ledge Umbreon was standing on and falling out of sight.

"Sorry man, just have to be thorough!" Haxorus said as he slid after him on a snowboard.

"Huh," Misdreavus said, looking down.

"That was a thing," Umbreon said in agreement.

They stared at each other for a moment.

"AHAHHA! DIE!" Misdreavus shrieked, shooting lasers and dumping buckets of rocks.

"FUCK OFF!" Umbreon growled as she prepared to avoid them.

 **0000**

" **Uh yeah, I know most dragons aren't a fan of snow, but I've always kinda dug it," Haxorus said with a shrug. "I love snowboarding and toboggan racing. I've been told I'm pretty good at it."**

 **0000**

"Owww….." Shuckle groaned, face in the snow. He pulled himself up and shook himself off, cursing when he realized he had dropped a significant amount.

He looked up, glaring as he saw Haxorus swerve down the mountain, claws outstretched. "I'm already sick of you."

"Sorry man!" Haxorus said. "Job's a job!"

Haxorus jumped in the air, doing a few tricks before lunging to Shuckle, who launched a string shot, wrapping it around the snowboard.

"I'm sorry too," Shuckle grunted, jerking the board. Haxorus yelped as he was thrown along with it, and he crashed into a pile of snow.

"I've seen people snowboard, you need to keep your legs locked into it," Shuckle explained, grinning at his own intelligence. "Now that you're below me the snowboard is useless!"

Haxorus responded by throwing the snowboard at Shuckle, smacking him upside the head.

"Ow!" Shuckle shouted. "Dick!"

"Doesn't seem like useless to me," Haxorus said with a toothy grin.

He slammed his tail using the impact to fly in the air. His tusks elongated into sharp blades that began closed in around Shuckle.

"That's guillotine," Shuckle said. "OH, FUCK THAT'S GUILLOTINE!"

He rolled back, dodging the attack that would have cost him the game, before sliding in between the dragon's legs. Shuckle made to jump, but Haxorus' foot came down and held his shell in place.

"Deuces!" Haxorus said cheerfully, forming guillotine again, but Shuckle bit down on his leg. As Haxorus grumbled in pain, Shuckle wrapped his limbs around Haxorus' body, trapping his arms and legs.

"Come on, we're going THIS WAY!" Shuckle roared, forcing Haxorus forward into the mountain wall. His head bashed against it, and Shuckle rolled away.

Growling, Haxorus tried to pull himself out, but with a start realized his tusks were stuck. He tried to wrench himself free, but he was held fast.

"You could try using your tail to break free," Shuckle said innocently.

"Oh right, thanks!" Haxorus said, his face lighting up. He swung back his tail, coating it in draconic energy. Shuckle tensed.

"DRAGON TAIL!" Haxorus roared, swinging his tail like a baseball bat. He wasn't expecting Shuckle to jump in the way, using the attack to send him flying high in the air.

"Thanks for the lift!" Shuckle shouted as Haxorus gaped up at him.

 **0000**

" **Dragon tail basically causes a knockback strong enough to send Pokemon flying so far that it ends an official battle without actually knocking out the opponent," Shuckle explained. "So, I figured at the very least it would give me a boost if I wanted an easy out. Granted he could have hit me in the wrong direction, but I figured the risk was worth it."**

 **Shuckle blushed. "Also, I kind of didn't think about it at the time."**

 **0000**

"Alright, gotcha!" Umbreon said, pouncing on Misdreavus, but she disappeared, reappearing higher up on the mountain. Umbreon let out a growl out of frustration, pacing around on the ledge she was standing on.

"Oooh, nice try!" Misdreavus giggled, hurling another barrel. "I almost felt that."

Umbreon started to reply scathingly but was interrupted by Shuckle fly up like a rocket next to her. She and Misdreavus gaped as he shot through the air, landing in a distant pile of snow that was almost out of sight.

Umbreon's eyes widened. "Shit, I have to hurry."

Misdreavus was cackling again, but stopped when Umbreon split into multiple copies. All forms of Umbreon leaped up ledges, moving in zigzags to throw the ghost off.

Misdreavus growled, letting lose everything she had. Barrels fell, lasers shone, and mines exploded. Still, the attacks only seemed to hit the copies.

The few remaining Umbreon were getting dangerously close, and Misdreavus aimed a shadow ball at the one nearest….

Only to be struck by a swift sucker punch by the real Umbreon, who had succeeded in sneaking up behind her. Misdreavus smacked against the mountain and tumbled down, unconscious before she hit the ground.

"Never try to out-sly a dark type," Umbreon spat, before looking up at the mountain ahead of her. "Now, I better hurry."

 **0000**

" **I got pretty far up the mountain while Umbreon was busy dealing with Misdreavus," Shuckle noted. He shuddered. "That is, until** _ **he**_ **showed up."**

 **0000**

Shuckle pulled himself up to a ledge a bit bigger than the others, large enough so he could feel comfortable catching his breath. Shivering from the cold, he looked down to check if Umbreon was gaining on him. She wasn't even in sight.

Letting out a deep sigh, he slumped back against a rock. "Alright. A minute of rest and then it's time to-"

The rocky wall shuddered around him, before a jet of water blasted him to the side, and he was sent sliding near the edge. Shuckle managed to catch himself before he could fall but went pale as he saw Slowking emerge from the wall of ice he had been stupid enough to lean against.

"I had a feeling you might make a pit stop here," Slowking said, giving a lazy wave, using the force of his psychic blast to throw Shuckle off the wide ledge and onto a smaller one. Shuckle groaned as he smacked against a rock, as Slowking teleported in front of him. Shuckle closed his eyes, pretending to be unconscious.

"Is that all it takes?" Slowking asked, walking towards him and raising an eyebrow. "I'm disappointed."

Shuckle watched Slowking's movement through lidded eyes, waiting for him to blink….

Slowking happened to look away for a moment to brush snow off his shoulder. Shuckle lunged forward, shooting a string shot straight at Slowking's crown…

Slowking caught the string an inch away from his face. "Nice try. I knew you had _some_ fight in you."

He yanked on the string, throwing Shuckle towards him. Slowking shot a hydro pump at point blank range, blasting Shuckle into a pile of rocks.

Shuckle coughed, struggling to his feet as Slowking created his signature trident out of water and psychic energy.

"We're both tacticians," Slowking said, shooting a jet of water that Shuckle dove to avoid. "Let's see who's smarter."

 **0000**

" **Shuckle is unpredictable; I'm sure he'll have a few tricks up his sleeves," Slowking said, folding his arms. "I hope you all enjoy our bout-I know I will."**

 **0000**

Unlike Shuckle, Umbreon could waste no time resting. She grunted as she climbed, wiping the sweat off her face and hoping she could catch up to Shuckle in time. He was slow, so how hard could it be?"

She clambered a wall that was more slippery than most, taking a deep breath before looking at her next checkpoint. Before she could start to climb, however, a psycho cut struck the mountain and sent a pile of snow down on the dark type. When Gallade emerged from his hiding spot, Umbreon was completely buried in snow.

"Hey," Gallade said, his single eye glowing with power. A psychic attack blew the snow off a disgruntled Umbreon, who was taking a knee.

"Oh great, like I haven't had enough of _you,"_ Umbreon drawled, tensing back.

"You'll need to take me down if you want to catch up to Shuckle," Gallade said with a mysterious smile. "I'd spend less time complaining and more time-"

He cut through a shadow ball that Umbreon shot while he was talking. "-putting up a fight."

Umbreon growled at his jab, launching a dark pulse, but Gallade dove down with ease, swinging his blades down in an X. Umbreon rolled to the side, kicking up at the psychic type, but Gallade dodged and knocked her down.

"Bye," Gallade said, stabbing down with his blade. Before it could land, Umbreon smashed her paw into the cliff they were standing on, and both tumbled down with a yelp of surprise.

 **0000**

" **I have no quarrel with Umbreon," Gallade said. "But this is my last episode, and I'd like to leave with a bang."**

 **0000**

"I really do hate when you do that string shot thing!" Slowking growled, raising an arm to block a weak bug attack Shuckle launched as he spun around the psychic's head. "Get some more moves!"

"Screw you, this way works!" Shuckle said, landing a leech life in Slowking's neck, grinning a little as he heard a low swear of pain from his opponent.

"Does it though?" Slowking asked, and Shuckle was outlined in psychic energy. Slowking threw him straight down, smacking him against the wall before dropping him on a cliff face.

Shuckle tried to rise, but Slowking landed down hard on his shell, preventing him from moving. He struggled, but Slowking held the trident against his throat.

"Any last words for your lovely fans before I crush your chances at winning?" Slowking asked, charging up a ball of water.

"Urgh…yeah," Shuckle said with a cough. "R-roy Mustang?"

"Roy-who?" Slowking asked, before a wagon rammed into him from behind. "Oof!"

Slowking managed to catch himself before too long, facing off against Roy Mustang, who proceeded to perform his equivalent exchange speech.

"I…what the hell?" Slowking asked, but Shuckle ordered the wagon to fire. Slowking was forced to throw up a barrier to block the onslaught of projectiles and alchemy thrown at him.

 **0000**

" _ **You know, I've never considered what I would like to do when my purpose is finished,"**_ **Roy Mustang said, having wheeled himself in the confessional. "** _ **In truth, I've always wanted to be a bartender. Maybe Sableye can hit me up with a bar or pub when he and Misdreavus get married."**_

 _ **0000**_

Before, Umbreon was climbing up the mountain as quickly as she could because she was worried she wouldn't catch up to Shuckle. Now she was climbing up the mountain as quickly as she could just to get away from Gallade, who was charging at her like a lunatic.

His blades flew at high speeds, and it was everything Umbreon could do just to avoid them. He stabbed the wall just under the dark type, but she managed to leap to a ledge and shoot a dark pulse before he could swing his other blade. The impact sent Gallade sliding down, but he caught himself by digging his blades into the icy wall.

"You'll need to do more than that to defeat me," Gallade said. Umbreon responded by shooting a shadow ball. Gallade swung his blade like a tennis racket, his backhand slice slapping the ball back into Umbreon's face.

Umbreon groaned as she was slapped against the mountain, before crumbling. Gallade performed a flip, using his psychic powers to boost his jump. He landed next to Umbreon and performed a roundhouse kick just as she was scrambling to her feet.

Umbreon fell back, before his tonfa pinned her to the wall. Umbreon tried to bite at it, but her throat was caught.

Gallade's other hand formed a green aura. "It's over."

0000

Shuckle, hiding behind cover, watched the intense fight between Roy Mustang and Slowking. The latter teleported and created barriers to block against the former's alchemy, constantly moving, trying to find a weakness. The wagon remained motionless, but fired continuous attacks, each shot coming closer and closer to hitting his opponent.

Shuckle tried to calculate if Slowking could find a weakness before Roy Mustang could overwhelm him, and… he wasn't sure. The thought made him uncomfortable-he couldn't stay on the sidelines any longer. But how could he of all Pokemon take out a titan like Slowking?

Slowking walked forward, holding a barrier in front of him, blocking Roy Mustang's fire as he marched forward. With his other hand, he launched jets of water, but the wagon froze it into ice before the attack could land.

They prepared to engage again, when Shuckle suddenly hopped up upon a rock above their heads. "Freeze Slowking's legs!"

"What?" Slowking asked, arching a brow. "What are you…."

Shuckle replied with an ear-piercing screech, powered by adrenaline and fear. Slowking clasped his ears, shouting in pain, but Roy Mustang wasn't affected…

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!" Slowking shouted. He froze when the entire mountain began to shake.

"Avalanche," Shuckle said with a cheeky grin.

"That's a myth, Shuckle," Slowking said, rolling his eyes. "Also, what, were you going to freeze my feet, so I couldn't escape? Shuckle, I can _teleport."_

"Oh," Shuckle said, blinking. "Shit."

Slowking snapped his fingers, the psychic force throwing the endolith towards him. Slowking caught him by the neck and held him in front of him.

"I'd call off your toy before it gets you hurt," Slowking growled. "This has been fun, but I liked my hearing, thank you very much."

" _Funny story,"_ Roy Mustang said. " _Freeze legs is actually a code word that Shuckle came up with. On his orders, I was instructed to use my earth alchemy to cause tremors beneath us to trigger an avalanche. I believe Shuckle screamed because he thought it was fun."_

Slowking blinked. "What?"

The mountain shook again, as snow and massive boulders slid towards them. Shuckle grinned before shooting a string shot at Roy Mustang, who was firing up the jets in the back and began to propel up the mountain.

Shuckle grinned as he was yanked out of Slowking's grip, but Slowking snarled and grabbed Shuckle with his mind. Roy Mustang and Slowking wrestled for control of Shuckle as the avalanche of rocks loomed closer.

"Urgh…" Shuckle gasped. "Your pick, Slowking. Get swept in the avalanche and _maybe_ drag me down with you or save yourself!"

Before the first boulder could his Slowking, the psychic threw up a barrier with his free hand, shattering it when it made contact. He expanded the barrier, so it surrounded the entire ledge he was standing on.

"Uh-oh," Shuckle said, as Slowking finally defeated the wagon at tug of war and ripped the string shot. Shuckle and the wagon both fell, but while a hole in the barrier opened up for Shuckle, the wagon bounced off and tumbled down with the snow and rocks.

"Roy Mustang!" Shuckle wailed, before turning to face Slowking. The psychic was using both hands to maintain his barrier, his trident in his mouth.

"You won't escape me so easily," Slowking said through his closed teeth. "Come now! Put up a fight!"

Slowking charged towards Shuckle in his safe bubble as the world was in chaos around them, snow and boulders flying everywhere.

0000

Gallade was about to stab down, only to falter as a wagon fell with a clang next to them.

Gallade blinked. "What the hell?"

His grip loosened, and Umbreon used the opportunity to bite down on his arm. Gallade growled in pain, stumbling back, and Umbreon followed up with a vicious headbutt.

" _Shuckle, I'm coming,"_ the wagon said, firing up its jets. Umbreon gaped at the sight before grinning, hopping on it just as it shot up the mountain. Gallade swore and tried to stop them, to no avail.

"Oh….no…" Gallade said, looking up. As sheet of snow and rocks was sliding down, and while the wagon swam through it with ease, it was heading right for the psychic type….

0000

Roy Mustang swerved, trying to shake off Umbreon, who was gripping its sides as tight as possible.

" _Get off!"_ the wagon shouted. " _I am not a taxicab."_

"Into an avalanche?" Umbreon scoffed. "I'll stay right here, thanks."

She looked up and opened her eyes wide. A barrier stood firm against the avalanche falling around it, and she thought she could see Shuckle fighting Slowking in there. Or well, _surviving_ against Slowking. Somehow.

In truth, the bug type had wrapped a tight cocoon around himself, protecting him from Slowking's vicious blows. Slowking was growing increasingly annoyed at his stalling, but Shuckle wasn't budging.

" _If you aren't going to jump out you'll want to hold on tight,"_ Roy Mustang said in a resigned voice. " _I'm ramming the barrier."_

"WHAT!?" Umbreon shouted.

" _You heard me."_

Building up speed, the wagon flew _through_ the barrier, which shattered. The impact sent Shuckle and Slowking flying in different directions, while Umbreon smacked her head against the metal wagon.

Slowking caught himself in midair, floating, before feeling weight pull him down. He looked down and went pale. A string shot had tied his leg to a rock.

Slowking only had time to flinch before the avalanche overtook him and he was sent tumbling down, yelling curses at Shuckle, the mountain, and Roy Mustang alike.

"Alright, Rusty," Umbreon said, slapping the side of the wagon. "Get me to the top."

Roy Mustang vibrated angrily. " _I have no intention of leaving Shuckle behind-"_

A psycho cut missed the wagon by an inch. Gallade appeared, jumping from boulder to boulder in an attempt to catch up to them.

" _-I will leave Shuckle behind,"_ Roy Mustang said, revving his engines.

"Good call," Umbreon said with a gulp.

The wagon shot forward, swerving as Gallade launched attacks. The warrior hopped from rock to rock, attacking from every angle.

Gallade focused his power, about to launch another attack, but a string shot wrapped around his leg. He yelped and crashed as Shuckle burst out of the snow, gasping for air, before shooting another string shot at Roy Mustang, using him as a zipline.

"What the-?" Umbreon said before Shuckle tackled her, both Pokemon wrestling for control as Roy Mustang neared the summit of the mountain….

 **0000**

" **Final thoughts before the end of the challenge?" Shuckle asked. "Well, I guess I'll say I wish I got my friends further. I was selfish, so while I made it, I couldn't get any of my friends even to the top five. Hopefully I can make this up to them by winning the game once and for all."**

 **0000**

" **Regrets? Me?" Umbreon asked with a snort. "Uh, joining this game in the first place?"**

 **She sighed. "For serious though, sometimes I wish I treated Sylveon better. I thought I was helping her but really, I just wanted her to become another me. And now that I succeeded, well….I just hope she's happy."**

" **Alright, enough mushy crap," Umbreon growled. "Today Shuckle goes down."**

 **0000**

"Ooh, they're almost at the summit!" Pidgey squawked.

"Looks really close as well," Manaphy said, looking impressed. "Anyone could take the game at this point."

"Take him down, Umbreon!" Infernape whooped.

"Shuckle, you've got this!" Munchlax shouted.

"SILENCE, BEAR!" Giratina roared, and Munchlax shrieked and hid behind Swampert. "UMBREON WILL WIN OR I'LL HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!"

"Ugh, I forgot how much he screeches," Tapu Lele moaned, covering her ears. "No wonder Arceus banished him."

"We're at the endgame, folks!" Victini said, clapping his hands. "Place your bets, because it's Umbreon and Shuckle head to head for the finale!"

Tepig snickered, unable to stop himself from becoming the center of attention.

"What are you cackling about," Victini said with a suspicious glare.

"Oh, nothing," Tepig said, whistling innocently. "Misdreavus and I just thought the challenge would be a bit anticlimactic without a bit of pizazz at the endgame. You lot are in for a lovely surprise."

"What did you do?" Minccino growled.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but you can't be mad," Tepig said.

" _What did you do?"_

Tepig cleared his throat, before speaking in a perfect impression of Victini's voice. "Hariyama, I want you to be our final challenge for Total Pokkemon, so everything can come full circle. Have fun and don't hold back!"

"No," Victini hissed. "Dude, even I'M not that sadistic!"

Minccino groaned as Tepig broke out in laughter. The Pokemon ran to the edge of the barrier, waving frantically as Roy Mustang finally drove over the edge of the summit.

"Shit, he's not responding!" Victini snapped, desperately tapping his phone. "Why is the reception here so bad?"

"Gee I wonder why," Ninjask drawled, rolling his eyes.

"Look at me, I'm Victini," Tepig said with a goofy grin, still using Victini's voice. "I act like an asshole because I have SELF ESTEEM ISSUES!"

"SHUT UP, TEPIG!"

0000

Shuckle and Umbreon rolled out of the wagon the second Roy Mustang, still wrestling. Shuckle managed to get her into a scissor lock, before looking up and gaping. Atop the peak was the Total Pokkemon Island Flag, and above it, a barrier with the entire cast and Victini watching and shouting.

"Wait, why are they so freaked out?" Shuckle asked. He was relieved to see Munchlax okay, but the little cub was pounding on the wall of the barrier, warning him to get out.

Umbreon used the distraction to break free, launching a shadow ball to send Shuckle rolling to the side.

"Ow," Shuckle said, rising and shaking the snow off his shell. "Hey, Roy Mustang? Why aren't you helping out?"

" _Because I'm slightly more worried about the higher threat level emerging in front of us,"_ the wagon replied, his voice strained.

"What?" Shuckle and Umbreon asked, whirling around. Out of the snow in front of them, Hariyama burst up, performing a triple flip in the air and landing with his fist crushing rocks around him, no doubt creating more avalanches below.

"Oh," Umbreon said, backing away. "Shit."

Hariyama leered at them. "Hariyama will assume young finalists know what he is here for."

Umbreon backed away, as Shuckle inched towards Roy Mustang, tapping him on the side.

"I want you to fire everything you have on that man," Shuckle said, trying not to sound terrified. "If he _disintegrates_ it's not enough."

" _Roger,"_ Roy Mustang said, humming with power. The area where Hariyama stood exploded as missiles, lasers, bullets, rockets, and various forms of alchemy were launched. Hariyama's outline disappeared under the intense fire.

"Keep it up," Shuckle barked, narrowing his eyes. Umbreon, meanwhile, inched to the side, eyeing the flag not too far away…

Roy Mustang continued to fire, and for a moment Shuckle was convinced Hariyama was finished. His heart sank when he was proven wrong; Hariyama was marching through the explosions, humming in Russian.

"Ohoho, fuck no," Umbreon said, backing up as Shuckle gulped.

Hariyama launched towards him, but Roy Mustang slid in front of him, opening fire. Hariyama ignored the laser striking his shoulder and threw a vicious punch, shattering the wagon into pieces.

"ROY MUSTANG NO!" Shuckle shrieked. "HE WANTED TO BE A BARTENDER!"

Umbreon, who had stealthily moved behind Hariyama, made a mad dash for the flag, but Hariyama shot a focus blast behind him, and it struck the ground in front of the eeveeloution. The impact threw Umbreon over the edge, and she shrieked loudly as she fell.

Shuckle launched a string shot at the peak as well, but Hariyama caught the string and swung it down, slapping Shuckle against the mountain. He groaned, trying to rise, before Hariyama's force palm sent him flying over the edge. He managed to catch himself with another string shot before he could fall down too far, and pulled himself back over.

Peering over a rock, he saw Umbreon climb back up, growling under her breath. Hariyama lunged for her, but Umbreon used double team, creating copies of herself that ran in every direction to confuse Hariyama.

The fighting type struck, destroying copies, but Shuckle watched another, more suspicious Umbreon sneak for the peak where the flag stood. Narrowing his eyes, he opened his mouth and shot a string shot just as she broke into a run.

The string wrapped around Umbreon's legs and she fell flat on her face, cursing Shuckle under her breath. Hariyama turned at the noise and chuckled, running forward and kicking her off over the edge of the summit again.

Shuckle giggled at his cleverness, before his eyes dawned in realization and horror. The string yanked him forward, sending him sliding through the snow and in between Hariyama's legs, before it pulled him over the edge after Umbreon.

Hariyama chuckled again, shaking his head in disbelief. "For one so smart, young Shuckle can be very dumb."

0000

"I hope you're happy," Umbreon snapped.

The string that tied them together had wrapped around a jagged rock, leaving Shuckle and Umbreon to swing from it on either side.

"Okay, not one of my greatest plans," Shuckle said, looking up. "Why don't we try working together to take him out? We stand no chance alone."

"We're the only two left, what's the point?" Umbreon asked, rolling her eyes.

"Once Hariyama's taken out it's a fair race to finish, okay?" Shuckle asked, watching to see if she took to his plan. He assumed she would; if things played out the way he explained it, her speed would give her the advantage.

"Deal," Umbreon said after a moment, a predatory grin on her face. "But you'll regret this alliance soon enough."

"I'm sure I will," Shuckle said without really paying attention. "If we pool our strengths, we may have a chance…"

0000

Hariyama checked his watch. What was taking them so long? It was rather cold.

As if on cue, Umbreon ran onto the scene, Shuckle on her back. She darted in zigzags, letting out a war snarl.

Hariyama grinned, shooting a focus blast, but Shuckle jumped in the air, popping in his shell to take the hit with ease. The string he was connected to kept him locked into Umbreon's back as she ran for him, throwing attacks that bounced off the sumo's tough skin.

"Nice!" Shuckle said, urging her forward. "Now take the offensive!"

"I can't believe you convinced me to do this," Umbreon grumbled.

Hariyama threw a fist, but Umbreon managed to dodge an attack that Shuckle certainly wouldn't have been able to, and the bug type launched a string shot that wrapped around his arm and jerked it to the side.

Shuckle whooped as Hariyama fell off balance. "We're doing it!"

"Yeah, we are," Umbreon snickered, before throwing her head back to strike Shuckle's face. The bug type yelped and rolled off, the string connected to them being split, as Umbreon used both their lack of balance to throw herself up at the flag.

Shuckle, however, grinned. "Bad idea, Umbreon!"

Umbreon suddenly yelped in pain as she was electrocuted, and she stumbled around in confusion.

"That wasn't a string shot I attached to you," Shuckle said as Hariyama raised his free fist at Umbreon's vulnerable form.

"It was an electro web."

Hariyama's fist sent Umbreon flying, over the edge of the mountain and out of sight. With a roar, he ripped his arm free from the string shot.

"That alliance was pathetic," Hariyama said, cracking his knuckles.

Shuckle wiped blood off his nose. "I needed her out of the picture to minimize the risk as much as possible."

"Oh?" Hariyama said in interest.

"There's only one hope I have left if I want to defeat you," Shuckle said, glowing in power. With a deep breath he used power swap, reversing his offensive and defensive abilities.

"This just became interesting," Hariyama said, getting in a fighting stance.

"I may not win," Shuckle said, feeling newfound power in his limbs. "But you damn well better believe I won't go down without a fight."

Hariyama and Shuckle rushed at each other, meeting in a collision that blew snow everywhere and cracked the mountain. Shuckle and Hariyama fought hard to overwhelm the other as a glowing bright light surrounded them both….

0000

"Owwww," Umbreon said, rubbing her aching head. She took a glance at her surroundings, before starting at what seemed to be a floating white sheet.

"Ooooooh," the sheet said in what was unmistakably Phione's voice. "it is I, the ghost of Christmas past!"

"Christmas is long over, dude," Umbreon said. "You're in the wrong season."

"Exactly!" Phione said. "I'm the ghost of Christmas _passed._ Christmas already passed was taken."

"Whatever, I don't have time to waste," Umbreon growled, climbing back up the mountain. "I have to go kill myself now."

"Well, maybe if you tried complaining less and planning more, you'd do better?" Phione asked in a curious voice.

"I….huh….that is….a good idea," Umbreon said. "But how can I take on someone like Hariyama? His muscles are bigger than my head."

"Well, Shuckle decided to meet him head on," Phione said. "Maybe don't do that this time. Win your own, Umbreon way!"

"I don't have a way," Umbreon said.

"Then make up one!" Phione said cheerfully. "It takes more than raw power to win a Pokemon battle after all."

"Why are you so insistent on helping me, Phione," Umbreon asked. "It's not like we're close."

"I'm not Phione….I'm the ghost of Christmas paaaaaaassed," Phione said, before disappearing.

"Alright," Umbreon said, taking time for once to think without a hint of sass or sarcasm. What tools did she have that Shuckle didn't?

0000

"Ahahaha!" Hariyama said, blocking a strike from Shuckle before throwing a jab that the endolith dodged. "Hariyama has not fought this intensely since old battle with Mewtwo!"

Shuckle growled, doing his best to fight off Hariyama, but it was like fighting a hundred Pokemon at once. He flew around the sumo with string shot, trying to aim for weak points.

They fought back and forth, exchanging blows, until one finally made a mistake. Shuckle tried to bite down on Hariyama's arm but missed, and Hariyama threw down a karate chop that smashed against Shuckle's shell, throwing the poor bug type into mountain with enough force to cause it to shatter beneath his weight.

Hariyama chuckled in victory, but Umbreon used the results of the battle to her advantage and darted forward.

"First tool: element of surprise!" Umbreon shouted, hopping over Shuckle as Hariyama looked up in shock.

"Second tool: a move that doesn't need to knock you down to be effective," Umbreon growled, shooting a confuse ray at point blank range. Hariyama was struck in the face, and he stumbled around, punching himself repeatedly in the face.

Letting out a cackle of victory, Umbreon climbed to the peak, getting closer and closer to the flag…

Until a string wrapped around her leg, throwing her back and forcing her to dig her claws into the icy wall. She looked behind her, gaping in surprise. Shuckle, somehow still conscious, had managed to rise and fight, though he looked dead on his feet.

"Oh no you don't," Shuckle hissed, pulling on the string. Umbreon yelped as she desperately clawed at the wall….her paws _centimeters_ away from the flag….

"YEEEEEHAW!" came a voice that pierced the air. Bidoof somersaulted out of nowhere, biting down on the string connecting Umbreon and Shuckle, effectively snapping it.

"No!" Shuckle screeched as the freed Umbreon climbed up the remainder of the mountain. "What are you doing!?"

"G'WAN, UMBREON!" Bidoof shouted as he hit the ground in a roll. "GRAB THAT FLAG SO'S WE CAN ALL GO HOME!"

Hariyama shook himself off and aimed a focus blast, but Sylveon rammed into him from behind, causing him to throw the attack on the ground in front of them, the explosion blowing them both back.

Umbreon reached the peak and bit down on the flag pole, ripping it out of the snow and thrusting it high in the air. "Victory is mine!"

"And that's the end!" Victini roared into his megaphone, lifting off the top of the barrier so they could hear the shouting of every Pokemon cheering, jeering, and yelling. "THE WINNER OF TOTAL POKKEMON ISLAND IS UMBREON!"

"Yes!" Bidoof said, before Umbreon plowed into him with a fierce hug. "Whoa, you never tried to initiate contact with me before!"

"I love you, you doofy bastard!" Umbreon practically sobbed into his shoulder, squeezing him so hard his eyes bugged out.

"Where was _my_ team?" Shuckle protested, though it was with a weak smile. A moment later Plusle, Sableye and Scrafty arrived at the top, taking deep breaths and leaning against each other for support.

"We uh….may have stopped for donuts first," Sableye said, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Aw…I see that the new wagon got scrapped, huh?"

"Yeah…." Shuckle said with a shrug. "Sorry about that."

"I'll go fix him," Sableye said with a sigh, moving around to pick up the pieces of scrap metal.

"You did it, Umbreon!" Sylveon said, running forward and wrapping her ribbons around Umbreon in a tight hug. Umbreon flinched but allowed the contact.

Hariyama brushed some snow off his shoulder, giving Umbreon a nod of respect before moving to help Sableye clean up. Shuckle, meanwhile, awkwardly made his way up to Umbreon.

"Uh…. you totally deserved the win," Shuckle said, smiling while holding out an arm. "Thanks for following the whole competition through with me."

Umbreon shook his hand. "You were a total badass too, Shuckle. It could have gone any other way."

Victini flew down with a microphone, holding it under Umbreon's mouth. "As promised, we'll give you the one million Poke dollars that we totally didn't steal from a bank. What are you going to do with the money?"

Umbreon looked at the microphone, before a wicked grin grew on her face.

0000

"What!? It's what I _am_ going to do with it!" Umbreon said in protest. "How dare you censor the truth!"

"Because you can't tell everyone on international television that you want a recreational drug collection!" Victini hissed.

"Recreational drug _museum,"_ Umbreon said. "That I'll occasionally use for my own needs."

"Do whatever you want with it, but kids watch this show!" Victini said. "You're a role model to those little brats, so you need to act like one."

"Fine, fine, whatever," Umbreon said, rolling her eyes. "I'll say something boring, like use it to pay off student loans or something. Just let me do the stupid ceremony so I can go home."

"Fine, sheesh," Victini said, opening the curtain. He looked over the sea of chairs set up for a party on the Secret Skerry, where the entire cast, their family members, the bean counters, and quite a few legendary Pokemon and celebrities were waiting for him to make an appearance. When they saw him they broke into applause.

"Hey everyone!" Victini said in his best host voice. "You all know who I am, so I won't bother introducing myself. It's been one hell of a show, and we've spent so long together it feels like we're a giant dysfunctional family."

Tepig wrapped an arm around Minccino, who leaned into his touch. Infernape had _both_ arms around Donphan and Ivysaur, and even Braixen and Grovyle seemed to be tolerating each other, clinking wine glasses.

"It's been a long, dramatic and hilarious season," Victini said, grinning in memory. "From Pidgey's elimination, to Tepig's shenanigans, to Zorua's redemption, I'm sure we'll remember the experience we've shared together for a long time. It's an end of an era, and I hope it changed everyone for the better."

"Hear hear!" Audino shouted, and they broke into applause once again.

"But now it's time to introduce our two greatest contestants," Victini said. "The two who stayed on the island longer than anyone else, and survived every challenge they faced. First off, runner-up, Shuckle!"

Victini moved to the side, letting Shuckle crawl up to the podium. He blushed at the roaring cheers sent his way, and he waved shyly.

"I've always been an awkward, shy nobody," Shuckle said. "But this experience really made me feel alive. Every victory was an ecstasy, every loss was a heavy blow, and I've made friends, and er, enemies, that will last a lifetime. Getting second place is certainly bittersweet, because let's face it, winning would be awesome, but I'm proud of myself for making it as far as I did and keeping my head up high when I did lose. Victory or no, this will always be an experience I remember positively."

Cheers met his speech, especially from Munchlax, Plusle, and Bidoof. Shuckle blushed again, accepting the silver trophy gratefully before crawling down to a newly restored Roy Mustang to wheel to his friends.

Victini clapped, before floating up to the podium again. "And now, the Pokemon who won it all, who ate more than she could chew and spit it out time and time again-UMBREON!"

If the crowd cheered for Shuckle, it roared for Umbreon, who walked up to the podium, cool as ever.

She gave a lazy grin. "So uh….I may be a little bit drunk right now…"

Her audience laughed, while Victini put his face in his hands, groaning loudly.

"But seriously, uh…..I want to thank everybody in the cast, for being eliminated before me so I could win," Umbreon joked. More laughter. Even Scrafty snickered a little at that.

"I'm sure all of you heard me complain," Umbreon admitted. "A lot. And while I'll still complain for years to come….I guess the experience didn't suck as much as I thought it would. Not that I'd ever do it again, but-"

"Ooookay that's enough," Victini said, shooing her off the podium, before tossing her a gold trophy. "This is why we can't have nice things."

Hariyama presented a large briefcase with stacks of money in it. Umbreon practically drooled at the sight.

"Enjoy the night, folks!" Victini said. "This here marks the end of Total Pokkemon Island! Who's ready to party?"

0000

The party was massive and incredible. Victini had put the rest of the show's budget into it, figuring that there would be nothing left to do with the money anyways. A stage show was set up for Pokemon to sing, food and drink outlined the entirety of the skerry, and everyone was treating the grass below them like their own personal dance floor. Umbreon was for once treated with tons of attention, but surprisingly didn't seem to be bothered by it. In fact, she was happier than most Pokemon had ever seen her, drinking, laughing, and refusing to let go of Bidoof.

"So!" Infernape chattered, vibrating like usual. "What are you guys doing after this?"

"Well, Zorua and I are going to move in together," Ampharos said, squeezing her paw. "She apparently has this elaborate plan to prank all the kids who picked on her in high school."

Zorua blushed a little. "Most of my plans required someone taller to execute them, so they were all pipe dreams. Now I have Ampharos at my disposal."

"Send a video, dude," Infernape said with a giggle.

"As for little old me," Donphan said. "I plan to make my way to the big city to officially jump start my acting career. Who knows? You may see me on the silver screen."

"Looking forward to it, buddy," Ampharos said, clinking glasses with him. "By the way…have any of you seen Ivysaur?"

"He's with his father, I think…" Donphan said. "I talked showbusiness with him a bit earlier."

"Wait," Braixen said, overhearing. "Ivysaur's _dad_ is here?"

"Yeah, what of it?" Donphan asked with a confused look.

Zorua and Ampharos exchanged a glance. "Uh-oh."

Infernape giggled. "I feel like I'm missing something here."

0000

Lopunny raised an eyebrow as Lucario returned to her table, grinning radiantly.

"Who was that Lycanroc you were talking to?" Lopunny asked. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you have a hot date!"

"Oh ha, ha," Lucario said rolling her eyes. "It's pretty ironic actually. That guy was an agent for Pokken Tournament, and apparently he'd been watching the show and gauging my strengths."

"Ooh," Lopunny said. "Does that mean?"

Lucario held up a letter with a victorious grin. "Guess what made his mind up? The fact that I was willing to sacrifice that much money for the tournament. I guess in a weird way, Scrafty helped me get in after all, huh?"

"Whoo!" Lopunny said, giving her a hug. "That's awesome! Alright, for celebration, I'll give you this next dance."

Lucario immediately blushed and made unintelligible excuses.

"Platonically. As a _friend,_ dummy," Lopunny said with a giggle. "C'mon."

Lucario chuckled. "Well, in that case I'd be happy to oblige."

Tepig looked on as they giggled and danced. "You know what sucks? They never kissed _once_ in the show. That's so unfair."

"Tepig!" Minccino said, slapping him on the back of the head.

"Ow, it was a joke, woman, calm down!" Tepig yelped, rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, Tepig," Minccino asked after a little while. "You and Zorua….you don't…really have a thing for her, do you? Because if you are, then I don't want to get in the-"

"Oy. Shut up," Tepig said, before giving her a deep and passionate kiss, long enough for it to be a bit awkward for people watching. They broke away, Minccino with a massive blush on her face.

"You're the only one I want, Minccino," Tepig said. "And the only girl that matters to me, savvy?"

Minccino had a dazed look on her face. "Y-yeah. Understood."

"Now," Tepig said, holding out a hand to her. "Shall we show these bogans what a real tango looks like?"

"Alright, I'll take it," Minccino said, letting him lead her to the "dance floor".

"'Course, I reckon if you and Zorua were into it, I'd totally be up for a three-"

"You ruined it, Tepig."

0000

Scrafty stretched as he sat at the dock, watching Hariyama clean off the boat and tossing used cigarettes into the water below. He glanced Audino as she sat next to him.

"Some of them are going to file lawsuits against you," she said after a moment of silence. "And they have a solid argument for doing so."

Scrafty nodded to himself for a moment. "Which ones?"

"I think you know which ones."

Scrafty cracked a smirk at that, before it faded into a neutral expression. "But not you though."

"What would you even have to give?" was Audino's response.

"Cigarettes?" Scrafty said, grinning and waving them in front of her.

Audino hesitated for a moment. "Oh…what the hell. Toss one here."

Scrafty wordlessly gave her a cigarette and lit it for her, and they smoked in silence.

"…Is it my fault?" Audino asked after a few moments in a very soft voice.

"Pardon?" Scrafty asked.

"Is the reason you voted me off my fault?" Audino asked. "Was I too innocent and sweet? Was I…I don't know, overbearing, or-?"

"No," Scrafty said in a very firm voice. "Of course it's not your fault. I'm a toxic person, Audino, and if there's one thing you should learn from our relationship it's that you shouldn't blame yourself because of the horrible decisions I make. I'm the bad part, and for a while you were the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Let me help you," Audino pleaded. "You can change!"

"No," Scrafty said in a very defeated voice. "I can't."

Audino didn't know how to respond.

"Promise me one thing, Audino, okay?" Scrafty asked.

"I…sure," Audino said.

"Forget about me. Move on, live a happy life with someone you deserve, and don't bother yourself with me anymore," Scrafty said. "If there's really any way I can be happy in this world, it's the comfort of knowing the damage to you I caused wasn't permanent, and that there's no way I could ever hurt you again. Please, Audino?"

Audino rose to her feet and wiped away a tear. "Okay, Scrafty. I promise."

She walked away, back to the happy voices and cheers. To the place she would be happy.

Scrafty lay on his back, looking at the stars above. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"This isn't supposed to be my day," he said in an irritated voice. "Cut back to the people who deserve to be happy."

0000

"Brilliant end to a season, eh?" Victini asked Manaphy as they sipped their wine glasses. "Nice way to kick off the end of the season with a bang."

"Yeah," Manaphy admitted. "I have to admit, you really found a way to-oh my god. Victini look."

She pointed over to the food table, where an Arceus was grabbing some cupcakes.

"Oh boy, I'm screwed," Victini hissed, floating forward. "Manaphy if I die tell Hariyama I love him."

"Ah, there you are," Arceus said, looking down at Victini. This one was Dark, and he was known for being a little quieter and classier than the others. "I'll be honest I'm impressed. This show had quite a satisfying end for having such a terrible beginning. I quite enjoyed myself."

"I….yes…sir….thank you sir…" Victini mumbled to himself.

"Oh, be still, I'm not going to punish you for all the trouble you caused," Arceus said, rolling his eyes. "Mostly because I found it all very entertaining."

"Wait, really?" Victini asked.

"I have a better question though," Dark Arceus said, giving Victini a very shrewd look. "Now that you've tasted fame, what will you do? Will you let it go to your head and change again?"

"I doubt it," Victini said, a lot more comfortable now that he knew he wasn't going to lose legendary privileges. "There's no chance we have the budget for a second season, and I'm ready to put this all behind me."

"Don't count your Torchic before they hatch," Dark Arceus replied. "In fact…I have a feeling you'll have to make a very important choice soon."

"Pardon?" Victini asked. "Choice? Torchic? What?"

"Farwell, Victini," Dark Arceus said. "I'll be watching you. Why Hariyama, is that you, you wily old bastard? Please, allow me to have a drink with you!"

As his friend walked off with his superior, Victini let out a deep sigh of relief.

"What the hell was that all about?" Manaphy asked, giving Victini a strange look.

"Just an omnipotent being watching my life like a soap opera," Victini grumbled. "I need something to drink."

0000

"Not one for parties, I assume?" Grovyle asked Gallade, who was sitting by himself, beer in hand.

"Would you have guessed?" Gallade asked with a coy smile.

"Maybe," Grovyle said, giving him a playful push.

"Still, I'm enjoying myself," Gallade said. "I've grown quite fond of the people here, even if I prefer watching them from a distance."

"What about me?" Grovyle asked. "Do you want me at a distance…..or…closer?"

"How does arm's length sound?" Gallade asked, very seriously.

They both broke into laughter, surprising many Pokemon, who thought that Gallade lacked the ability.

0000

"Did you really have to pick a fight with Giratina?" Sylveon asked, doing her best to clean Bidoof's wounds without Audino present. She did her best, but she really didn't have her friend's expertise. "He's twice your size and also the overlord of the distortion world, as he often reminds us."

"Yeah, I did," Bidoof said, grinning despite his many wounds. "Was a matter of pride."

"Nothing's sexier than a man taking a beating in my name," Umbreon drawled, nuzzling him.

Sylveon couldn't help but giggle. "You two are so weird."

0000

"Wow, I didn't realize we'd been playing for hours," Shuckle said in a hoarse voice. "We got so many encores…"

"We make a good duet bro," Munchlax said, just as tired. Plusle helped them flop into chairs and gave them each a glass of water.

"You two sounded great!" Plusle said, clapping her hands. "You two really have a future if you keep honing your skills."

"Totally," Munchlax coughed. "But only if Bidoof promises to ACTUALLY BE A PRESENT MEMBER OF THE BAND!"

"Give him a break," Plusle said with a giggle. "He and Umbreon are getting…. closer."

They relaxed a while, talking about this and that, until-

"Hey Shuckle?" Munchlax asked. "You are okay, right? About not winning, I mean."

"I'll be fine," Shuckle said. "I know I made it clear I wanted to win badly, but it was more of a pride thing than anything else. I was beaten fair and square, and now I can move on with my life. With you guys."

"Awww…." Plusle cooed. "We love you too, Shuckle!"

" _Romantic tension levels rising…."_ Roy Mustang whispered to Shuckle from under him. " _Now I believe would be a good time to exit stage left."_

"Well, Roy and I are going to find a bar where he can get hired at," Shuckle said, winking at them. "You two have fun!"

"Wait, Shuckle, don't…." Munchlax started, but Shuckle was already gone, laughing to himself.

Munchlax and Plusle sat awkwardly together, before Plusle cleared her throat.

"Um…so…it's just the two of us now…and… Bidoof seems pretty smitten with Umbreon," Plusle said, awkwardly adjusting herself in her chair. "So, um…I was wondering if you and I…."

"Yes!" Munchlax said, causing Plusle to laugh.

"Well that was easier than I thought," Plusle said, holding Munchlax's hand. "Maybe we can consider this our first date?"

"What made you come around, Plusle?" Munchlax asked. "I was under the impression that you only liked me as a friend."

"No, uh…" Plusle went red. "The truth is I've had the biggest crush on you since the beginning of the show. The only reason I was so hesitant was because Bidoof got in the way…."

"Oh…" Munchlax said, laughing. "Me too."

"Hey. Pssst… mistletoe!" Phione said, the sheet still on his head. He was dangling it in front of them.

"Dude, Christmas is already over," Munchlax said. "That whole trope only really works in season, doesn't it?"

"I already said I'm the ghost of Christmas _passed!"_ Phione raged. "Why does nobody get that!"

Before Munchlax could argue any further, Plusle leaned over the table and kissed Munchlax on the cheek. She grinned at Munchlax, who was blushing, before finding herself in a sweeping embrace as Munchlax kissed her passionately.

"Eep!" Plusle shrieked, dragging the tablecloth with her as they fell on the grass below.

"Wow," Phione said, pulling up the sheet covering his head. "This is some juicy stuff!"

0000

The party was winding down, and Pokemon were beginning to leave, exchanging goodbyes, hugs, and even a few middle fingers. Victini was leading the interns in cleanup, realizing that they were short on time for how long they had both islands booked.

Just as he was planning to pack his things back in his personal cabin, he heard a cough behind him.

Turning around, he was faced to face with a very official looking Venusaur, a very awkward Ivysaur at his side.

"Can I help you?" Victini asked.

The Venusaur took a sip of wine from the glass he was carrying in a vine. "Nice to meet you. I'm Venusaur of Venusaur studios, movie director, philanthropist, mob boss. I wanted to thank you for the experience you've given my son."

"Uh…sure…" Victini said. "I'm glad he enjoyed myself."

"In fact," Venusaur said, almost interrupting the legendary Pokemon. "I wanted to make you an offer."

"Okay?" Victini asked, still very confused.

"I want your show," Venusaur said. "Season two, bigger, better, and you still get to be host. Deal?"

"Whoa, whoa, wait…WHAT!?" Victini asked.

"Look, I've seen your ratings kid," Venusaur said, sipping his wine. "You have potential, but your marketing's a shit show. You want another bite at the apple, I'm your man."

"Oh…" Victini said, slightly overwhelmed. "I….well….I'm not sure what to say."

"Look, name an actor," Venusaur said. When Victini tried to respond, Venusaur interrupted. "Doesn't matter who it was you were going to say, I was the person that made him great. When Venusaur makes you an offer, kid, you take it. Now, are you going to make the right choice?"

Choice.

Victini's eyes dawned in realization. This was what Arceus met. What would he do?

"I'm sorry, Venusaur, but I must respectfully decline," Victini said somberly.

"Wait," Ivysaur said. "Really?"

"Pssh hell no, I'm not an idiot!" Victini said, shaking Venusaur's hand. "Let's make this happen!"

"Knew you had common sense," Venusaur said with an encouraging nod. "Now let's work out the details in my private jet…"

0000

Charizard leaned in his cot, flicking off the television. So that was it then, huh? Umbreon won?

It turned out that investigations had been done on Charizard when he revealed his unstable nature on the show, and old dirt was being dug up on him. He would stand trial for his actions in a few months, but for now he was essentially under house arrest. Not by technicality, but there was no way he'd go out for too long with everybody watching his every move…

He didn't have too many friends anymore, considering all the terrible things he had been seen doing on the show, but he expected it. All in all, he was surviving, but at least he could feel comfortable knowing he could do his best to move on and that he was getting better.

A doorbell rang, and Charizard's throat leapt. An old friend coming to visit him? He practically ran to the doorway, and his heart punctured at the sight of what was out to greet him. Just the mail. More bills he'd barely be able to pay.

Still, one letter was different than the others. It had bright colors and when he opened it, he gaped in surprise.

It was a 'Get Well Soon Card', signed by the cast of Total Pokkemon Island, along with phone numbers underneath. Not everyone was there (Carbink and Scrafty abstained) but it was enough. In neat handwriting there was a message he recognized from Sylveon.

" _Keep at it Charizard. We know you have it tough, but at least know that we'll be supportive no matter what happens. Call us if you need us to; I'm sure at least one of us will be able to pick up the phone._

 _We forgive you,_

 _The Cast of Total Pokkemon Island."_

Charizard could feel himself tearing up. "Thanks," he muttered, sniffling a little.

0000

 **HOLY SHIT, THIS IS THE LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE!**

 **Finally, after over two years, we say goodnight to Total Pokkemon Island. It was such a fun ride, and even though there were ups and downs, it's an experience I'll remember fondly for years to come.**

 **Yes, Umbreon won the vote, not by a huge margin, but still a decent one. Shuckle was in the lead at first, but last minute voters really sealed the deal on Umbreon's victory. Hope you guys are happy with how that turned out.**

 **Before we say goodbye, there are some people I'd like to thank. Diamond Toxic/Fire Slash, my original collaborator, who helped out a lot with the early chapters, Premasaur, my lovely editor, Fuzzboy, who's been a great critic and helped beta read a few of my chapters, Dark Arcanine, for helping make kickass crossovers (including the longest chapter in the story), and everyone who submitted OC's and reviews.**

 **Finally, I want to thank Dark Amphithere, for being my mentor and inspiration in writing this story. He gave me really good advice whenever I felt down about the story the most, and I'm really grateful for it.**

 **Season two will come soon, but for now it's time to say goodbye. It's a little bittersweet, sure, but all good things must come to an end, and I have new projects on the horizon!**

 **Until we meet again,**

 **~Shuckle Master**


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